Students 'too qualified', says CSU

BATHURST — Communications students at Charles Sturt University's campus
here are being taught too well — this is the university administration's
justification for course and staff funding cuts. Students occupied the
university's media centre on June 14.

The students were protesting against an internal review into technical
support staffing for the school of communication that has recommended significant
cuts. The review suggests that some staff are producing students with skills
above the entry-levels required by industry.

“The cuts are symptomatic of the university's pragmatic response to
a budgetary crisis”, Students' Representative Council education vice-president
Jessie Price said. “They are saying students must be taught less to save
money... Management is becoming desperate as debts increase due to federal
funding being pulled. They are 'dumbing down' the School of Communication
as a money saving exercise.”

The Bathurst campus has long been recognised as one of Australia's best
journalism training centres. This year an undergraduate journalism student
was nominated for a Walkley Award before graduating, for her work at Radio
National. Her prior work experience came from the university's broadcast
newsroom, a facility under threat from staff cuts.

“We are asking why is management bending to the funding dictates of
government and not standing up and making more of a noise”, Price said.

A copy of the staff review and its recommendations can be found on the
web at <http://www.csu.edu.au/faculty/arts/commun/outoforder/fix3.html>.
Background information and live students web broadcasts can be found at
<http://proddieplanet.cjb.net>.

From Green Left Weekly, June 19, 2002.

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From GLW issue 496