A media release from the VCA Student Union Website (www.vcasu.org.au) Discuss this here!

VCA STUDENTS TO PROTEST MELBOURNE UNIVERSITY COUNCIL MEETING

On the 15th of May University of Melbourne Provost Peter McPhee announced plans for a new restructure of courses at the Victorian College of the Arts (VCA). The restructure will be effective as of 2009.

The new faculty labelled “The Faculty of the VCA and Music” will see the 6 schools of the VCA reduced down to 3 and represents the introduction of the Melbourne Model at the college. The schools of Dance, Drama and Production will be merged into a single school of Performing Arts, The School of Music will be merged with the Faculty of Music at the Parkville campus, and the School of Film and television will be incorporated into the School of Art. Undergraduate studies in Film and Television (currently the only undergraduate degree in Film and TV in Australasia) will be axed. No new funding will be offered to the faculty from the university to ameliorate the crippling 35% funding cut suffered by the college in 2003-04.

In addition to this, the university has refused to fund the VCA Student Union (VCASU) in 2008 and beyond.

On Monday the 12th of May at 2pm, VCA Students will converge at the Parkville campus to protest outside the University Council meeting. We will demand:

1. Additional funding for the Faculty of the VCA.
2. Maintenance of staff positions and preservation of integrity of those positions (i.e.: technical staff trained in specific fields must not be replaced by staff without the equivalent specialisation).
3. Genuine expansion of options for students, not cuts to existing courses.
4. Transparency, genuine consultation with students in the decision-making process.
5. Funding for the VCA Student Union.

VCASU President Graham Smith said:
“The university has already demonstrated its contempt for the arts by slashing jobs and subjects in the Faculty of Arts at Parkville. With no new funding offered to the VCA why should students expect that this “restructure” will involve anything but more cuts at our campus?”

VCASU General Secretary Azlan McLennan said:
“At the heart of the VCA is a dedication to intensive training in highly specialised fields of study. By generalising VCA degrees Melbourne Uni will be undermining the very thing that makes VCA unique and so culturally valuable.”

More info at http://www.vcasu.org.au/ or VCASU Ph: 9682 1123
For media enquiries please contact:
Graham Smith, VCASU President
Mob: 0432 984 334 Email: prez@vcasu.org.au
Azlan McLennan, VCASU General Secretary
Mob: 0421 251 165 Email: gensec@vcasu.org.au
Or Allyson Hose, VCASU Education Research Officer
Mob: 0418 178 181 Email: ero@vcasu.org.au

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