By Marcel Cameron
MELBOURNE — Students and staff from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology have overwhelmingly rejected the university's decision to introduce up-front fees for over-quota undergraduate places in 1998. The vote sends a very clear message to university administrations nationwide and to the federal government.
Some 10,000 voters (almost 80%) answered "no" to the question "Do you agree with the University Council decision to permit full-fee local undergraduate students at RMIT?".
More than 13,000 people participated in the non-binding, voluntary referendum, about 25% of all RMIT students and staff. The referendum was a major demand of the two-week occupation of RMIT's finance department in September.
The vote was a victory for students and staff campaigning against up-front fees and cuts to education, and indicates the high level of anti-fees sentiment. However, the battle against up-front fees at RMIT is set to continue.
Vice-Chancellor David Beanland moved quickly to dispel any expectations that the referendum results would be upheld at the next meeting of the University Council on October 20. Addressing a meeting of staff last week, Professor Beanland said that he had never "promised" that the council would heed the referendum results.
The VC made it clear that the university had no intention of reversing its decision to introduce up-front fees, claiming, "If we don't respond to the opportunity to expand the number of students through full-fee paying places, the option is to shed up to an additional 140 staff, which will reduce the quality of education".
He failed to mention the university's operating surplus of $53 million, or the various expensive "redecoration" projects designed to increase the appeal of the university to potential up-front fee-paying students.
The council's determination to ignore the growing opposition to up-front fees will further undermine its credibility and lay the basis for more action by staff and students.