vca student protest 17 June : Melbourne Indymedia

Media release from VCA student:
For immediate release: Thursday 17th June

VCA Student Protest: How low can you go?

Dance students from the Victorian College of the Arts will today put on a colourful protest in front of the Arts Centre and “do the limbo” under a plank emblazoned with “student poverty line”. Accompanied by music students, the performance will highlight the theme “How low can you go?”, commenting on governance concerns, student poverty and cuts to arts education.

June 17th was widely advertised amongst the VCA community as the day of VCA Council’s decision on HECS increases and the possible introduction of upfront fees for domestic undergraduates. The meeting was consequently moved to July 6th, during semester break. Fee increases are a concern for VCA students with recent Australia Council for the Arts figures demonstrating that more than half of Australia’s creative artists earn less than $7,300 per annum. The resolution of VCA’s funding crisis created by the Nelson’s reforms is still being negotiated between DEST, the University of Melbourne and VCA.

“This is the feared ‘death by one thousand cuts’”, said Jacqueline Grenfell VCASU president, “Nelson ripped $5.4 million out of VCA’s funding, the State government has failed to renew funding previously forwarded to stave off the introduction of upfront fees, HECS increases of 25% are imminent – these financial factors could have a devastating effect on the VCA and wider arts community.”

Graham Smith, VCASU’s Education Officer stated: “What we are seeing at VCA is financial blackmail. The Howard government is withholding 35% of the college’s funding in order to bully the VCA Council into hiking up fees for students to plug the shortfall.”

the dog in the previous pic ...

energetic students took turns to wriggle under progressively lowered bar ...

I think the dog had a higher IQ than the two legged participants.

Don't they know the war is over?

Its simple, students need to keep fighting the fee increases, continue making this an issue, continue demanding other parties commit to abolishing the 'nelson reforms', because if students don't keep this on the agenda, who will? If we don't fight, we've lost. I can't afford a loss on this issue. Never give up.

That's all very good, Kieran, but you're wrong about the reforms. You probably haven't even read the full document (available on ther Internet).

It's about economically sustainable higher education. It's not free. Someone always has to pay. And the beneficiaries, ought to contribute something towards the cost.

As you said; it's simple.

"You probably haven't even read the full document (available on ther Internet)."

I bet most Liberal MPs never even read it, and they voted for it.

"It's about economically sustainable higher education. It's not free. Someone always has to pay. And the beneficiaries, ought to contribute something towards the cost."

That's why the Federal government provides more funding for private schools than universities is it?

"Oh but there are more people in private schools than unis!" the Howard government says.

Yes, but they spend twice as much on half the amount of students when you compare private schools to public schools.

And then there was the ambitious attempt to allow courses to enroll up to 50% of students as full fee payers. That simply means, if you don't have the cash, you probably don't get in. It may be economically sustainable but it's not fair.

And anyway when a government can spend $43 million a day on military you've got to wonder where it's priorities are. Killing Iraqis and spying on it's own citizens seem way more important than education.

the document operates on the assumption that only the educated benefit from an educated society. This is of course, wrong. Who would you prefer as your nurse or lawyer: The smarter but poorer one who would be put off doing a long and costly degree, or the richer but stupider one?

p.s. The "me first" menality that i mentioned above is perpetuated by smug well to do assholes that have their little nest feathered so that they dont give a crap how hard everyone else has to work to earn a crust.
These will be the first against the wall when i am king.
Wise one. You'll be first, you smug complacent little fuckwad.

Sorry - this one got lost. I should have mentioned also that the VCA Howard pig apparently decided to remain in his sty for the day, which was a pity really, as I'm sure the school parties all over the Arts Centre would have appreciated a chance to poke ...

No, the Nelson reform document does not assume that only the educated benefit from a tertiary education. If it did, it would require that students pay for ALL the costs.

The reforms do NOT require students to pay for ALL costs. It requires them to pay for SOME of the costs associated with them being educated. That's why the government pays the bulk of the costs. To reflect the fact that society as a whole also reaps the benefits of higher education.

Get it? Society benefits, so it pays (through taxpayers) some of the costs. The student benefits, so they pay some of the sosts.

Read more.

Get all the facts.

Then make an informed decision, not one borne on political prejudices.

really? then why are many institutions looking at creating a greater ratio of up-front fee places to hecs based ones? why was VCA looking at possible shut down when melbourne uni was going to sever its association due to financial unviability reasons?

Although do you really want your taxes to be used to give spoilt rich bastards the right to masturbate at the VCA for free?

I was in europe last year. all over germany, especially in berlin, was a heavily students strike.

they didnt go to lessons for months and occupied university buildings to create free space to discuss actions. their struggle against university fees (till now they do not have to pay fees) was combined with the workers' struggle against social cuts.

also headquarters of multinational companies were attacked and occupied (e.g. bertelsmann company) because they financed studies about university fees.

it was really unbelievable how much action they took. lets learn from them!

SMASH CAPITALISM