We Are The University

[TEU-academic] ] TEU update

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Fri May 10 2024 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Tēnā koutou katoa

Congratulations to all those members who either celebrated their students’ graduation, graduated themselves, or had children, family members or friends graduate this week!

University Advisory Group calls for submissions. The first of several consultation phases for the University Advisory Group (UAG) opens on 1 May and closes on 31 May. Phase One consultation covers high-level sectoral questions that consider the role of universities in New Zealand. Submissions received will inform the initial report to Government. This advisory group has the potential to significantly change the university sector. The first phase has 11 broad questions about the role and place of university education in New Zealand. We encourage members to respond to as many questions as possible. For more information, including consultation questions and how to make a submission, visit University Advisory Grouphttps://uag.us22.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5ce1903ca26a2f091d65cb858&id=7aa0f2a794&e=576b50b713.

The VC announced this morning that, as part of the UAG’s consultation process, the UAG has offered to meet with all university staff online. The purpose of these individual university meetings is for Sir Peter Gluckman to explain the role of the UAG, what it has been tasked to do, and to invite feedback. A session for Waipapa Taumata Rau staff will take place 10:00-11:00 on Thursday 16 May 2024. A Zoom invitation has been issued for the webinar.

Student protests on Gaza. Last week, the VC wrote re: student intentions to demonstrate against the ongoing near complete destruction of Gaza and its people. “We fully support the right of our students and staff to engage in peaceful and lawful protest… Having carefully considered the matter and taken into account advice from the New Zealand Police, the decision has been made to work constructively with the students to facilitate a peaceful and lawful protest on campus, but to not support the establishment of an overnight encampment. This compromise enables students and staff who wish to express their views to do so in a peaceful and lawful manner, without introducing the significant risks that such encampments have brought to other university campuses.” This email prompted members of staff to respond: Open Letter to Vice-Chancellor Dawn Freshwater from Auckland University Staff in Solidarity with Students Protesting for Palestine - Overland literary journalhttps://overland.org.au/2024/05/open-letter-to-vice-chancellor-dawn-freshwater-from-auckland-university-staff-in-solidarity-with-students-protesting-for-palestine/, lamenting the preference to liaise with the police rather than the university community. Staff who wish to read and add their names to the letter can do so via the above link.

In her most recent email (Thursday) the VC wrote: “The University reaffirms its decision that, whilst supporting the right to protest, we do not approve or authorise the establishment of an encampment. While the University fully supports the right of our students and staff to engage in peaceful and lawful protest, we remind staff of our expectations of civil and respectful discourse. I am raising this because I am aware of instances where staff and students have targeted individuals with disrespectful, aggressive and, at times, intimidating behaviour, including anti-Semitic, Islamophobic and other discriminatory language. This is not acceptable as part of protest action or in any circumstances.” We are seeking more information re: this aspect.

See also Harvard’s Walter Johnson’s observations as a “police liaison” for students. In Harvard Yard | Walter Johnson | The New York Review of Books nybooks.com

A request to divest. In addition, TEU member Dylan Asafo (Law), on behalf of colleagues, is seeking staff to sign an open letter to University of Auckland Foundations, asking them to divest from their “investments in corporations involved in human rights abuses as well as those involved in production of weapons, weapons components or services to the defence industry. Further it asks that the Foundation align its investment approach with the Principles for Responsible Investmenthttps://www.unpri.org/about-us/what-are-the-principles-for-responsible-investment, which would carry with it specific accountabilities and obligations. The context for this campaign is not only the current situation in Gaza, but also ongoing conflicts in many other parts of the world which are leading to record levels of civilian displacement and casualities. To align with our university’s explicit values, we should not be allowing our institution to invest monies in this way. Because it is our mahi which allows the university to successfully fundraise and grow its endowment, we have a direct interest in this and should have leverage over our institution’s investment choices. You can read more about the rationale for these request in this open letterhttps://docs.google.com/document/d/1MhZE2OuImSkd0kjwHkkmIH8rYZvAfq5N9B0B9k26GDc/edit?usp=sharing. A link to the petition is available herehttps://forms.gle/SRoweF7Crq1YJ7vS7. As people sign it their names should automatically populate into the open letter.”

Dylan also notes: “We’re seeking at least 1000 signatures before we deliver to the General Managers of the Foundations. We’ll also explore some media attention to this issue in coming days.”

See also Trinity College Dublin agrees to divest from Israeli firms after student protest msn.com

Petition to Criminalise Stalking – Stalking is not illegal in Aotearoa New Zealand, which can make it very hard for people to get needed support. The release of the report into the death of AUT student Farzana Yuqubi last month has highlighted this issue. You can sign the petition at this linkhttps://our.actionstation.org.nz/petitions/protect-women-make-stalking-illegal-1. If a stalker is affecting you or a friend at UoA, we recommend looking at the Campus Personal Safety Planning Guidehttps://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/about-us/about-the-university/equity-at-the-university/family-violence-its-not-ok/it-s-ok-to-help-new/campus-personal-safety-planning.html and contacting one of our organisers.

Pink Shirt Week/ IDAHOBIT: In collaboration with its Wāhine Network and Rainbow Network, the TEU will be turning pink from 13-17 May. We’re then turning RAINBOW for the International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersex Discrimination and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT) which is next Friday 17 May. Send me photos of your pink and rainbow outfits for inclusion on the TEU’s social media. Rainbow/Te Kahukura Network members: check your inboxes for an invitation to an event (board games, snacks, casual korero) to be held next week. If you missed out on signing up to the Rainbow Te Kahukura Network and would like to come along, please email the BC’s Rainbow rep Andy Fey at andy.fey@auckland.ac.nz for more information.

Looming changes to the make-up of Australian university councils could improve their governance principles while improving transparency, according to policy expert Gwilym Croucher. “But details are scant on many aspects of the proposals, including an apparent plan to more closely regulate the salaries of vice-chancellors and other senior university staff.” Australia plans to benchmark vice-chancellor pay timeshighereducation.com

Steven Joyce’s cosy relations with U Waikato. In the wake of the news from U Waikato, Auditor-General criticises way University of Waikato contracted Steven Joyce msn.com, TEU members are calling on the Chancellor to take action, particularly in light of the Auditor General’s damning observation that “the University does not seem to appreciate that it is accountable to Parliament and the public for whether it has followed appropriate processes when spending public money.”

Massey U aspires to be a smaller university. More than 500 courses cut from Massey University msn.com. Coincidentally, one of its staff members reports on why job insecurity increases the risk of burnout. Job insecurity drives Aotearoa New Zealand workforce to highest burnout risk - Massey Universityhttps://www.massey.ac.nz/about/news/job-insecurity-drives-aotearoa-new-zealand-workforce-to-highest-burnout-risk/

The VUW event, 'The role of universities in supporting freedom of speech,' was postponed PressReader.com but has now been rescheduled for 28 May. The arguing has not stopped. University campuses increasingly polarised - experts | RNZ Newshttps://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/516282/university-campuses-increasingly-polarised-experts

Meanwhile, “The 19th century is over, and so is the 20th. Our speech laws need to reckon with that. Digital speech, which is Gen Z’https://www.emarketer.com/content/gen-zers-charge-on-social-medias mother tongue, is a boon to campus activists. Those beholden to a notion that #silenceisviolence can now “flood the zone” (e.g., X, TikTok, Instagram) with their political opinions. The internet is bottomless. A college campus, I fear, cannot bear so much inundation.” Jacques Berlinerblau weighs in: Protest and Perish chronicle.com

Union wins continue overseas. 95% of University of Pennsylvania Graduate Students have voted to unionise, forming a 3700 member union, Graduate Employees Together — University of Pennsylvania (GET-UP) under the UAW (United Auto Workers) umbrella. GET-UP now forms the largest group of organized workers at UPenn and stands ready to challenge continued academic casualisation. You can read more herehttps://www.thedp.com/article/2024/05/penn-graduate-student-workers-form-union.

Reminders.

Please consider sharing this and subsequent Updates (electronically or print) with colleagues who may benefit from knowing what we are doing.

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Barry Hughes, PhD School of Psychology Phone: +64 9 923 5265 Extension: 85265