Victory at RMIT
By Alison Dellit and Ray Fulcher
MELBOURNE — In a significant victory for the campaign against fees for undergraduates, RMIT students and staff are to vote in the first "referendum" on fees ever held. The concession by university management follows a three-week occupation of the Kay House finance building, and the large campaign in solidarity with it.
In August, the RMIT council introduced the "option" of paying up-front fees for local undergraduate students who failed to obtain a publicly funded university place. The occupation was the latest stage in the campaign against fees at RMIT. During the occupation, eight large demonstrations were held outside the building and hundreds of RMIT students were drawn into the campaign.
The students left Kay House on September 8 to a cheering crowd after management agreed to the referendum and other concessions. Management agreed to allow free internet access for all students and staff for the next two years, to allow the student union president to remain a full member of University Council, guaranteed that there would be no international or post-graduate fee increase above inflation for the next two years, and that no charges will be laid against any individual or group involved in the occupation.
The referendum will be held in the week of September 22. The university has agreed to cover the costs of the poll, including a mail-out to all students with information on the "yes" case, written by university management, and on the "no" case, written by the student union. Ballot boxes will be set up in eight buildings covering all campuses. The State Electoral Commission is to run the ballot. The Student Union will be free to campaign for a "no" vote, subject to the State Electoral Act.