Monash University Bar Occupation enters third week : Melbourne Indymedia

Monash University Bar Occupation enters third week
Students at Monash University Clayton continue to sustain the longest occupation in Monash University’s recent history. In response to the University’s planned closure of the campus bar, students have occupied, defended and self-managed the space for almost three weeks. ‘The Bar,’ previously owned and run by Monyx, Monash University’s commercial wing, was due to be shut down this semester as a result of poor management and was to be turned into yet another corporate function-centre-for-hire (there are already three such rooms in the building where the bar is situated).

With close to 70% of all student amenities fees being directed to Monyx, the company runs services on campus as they see fit. The company is supposedly jointly owned by the students of Monash (through the Clayton, Caulfield and Peninsula student Unions) and the University. However, the company operates to the exclusion of student input and the University sets the agenda on the board, holding the ultimate power in this so-called dual relationship. The company itself does not include students in day-to-day decision-making and allows only a token student position on the board. The bar under Monyx was nothing more than a (failed) money-making enterprise; its closure in favour of a for-hire function centre demonstrates perfectly Monyx’s profit-making ethos, unconcerned with the quality of student life and completely opposed to student control of services on campus.

The occupation of the bar occurs as Voluntary Student Unionism threatens virtually all student services and spaces on campuses across the country. Furthermore, many of the services that students stand to lose – childcare, etc. will possibly be provided on a user-pays basis by Universities post-VSU. The question posed by students at Monash is simple: If a University can’t operate something as simple as a bar competently, can they be trusted to operate anything else?

The new student-controlled bar has received huge support from a wide range of students and even people off campus; already local hip-hop act Fortknight (Mc Scifen and Dj Wasabi of Combat Wombat) have offered to be a resident act on Thursday afternoons. The bar is a non-profit co-op open to all students willing to help support the occupation; students and activists outside of Clayton are invited to participate at anytime. At 1:00 pm this Thursday Fortknight will play with special guest MC Raceless from Curse ov Dialect (entry is free, of course). For enquiries call the bar directly on 9905 1177.