Alana Chinn (President) and Danielle Petherbridge (General Secretary) Phone: 9344 8657 Email: d.petherbridge@umpa.unimelb.edu.au
UMPA have been investigating the recent changes to the interpretation of the guidelines governing APA scholarships, and further to monitor the effect it has on postgraduates. The following comprises an initial report on information to hand thus far.
A memorandum was recently distributed by Janet White, General Manager Scholarships Office outlining changes contained in the APA conditions for 1998 received from DEETYA on 10 March 1998. A new clause on the suspension of scholarship provided for an additional approval mechanism for suspensions beyond 12 months. Suspensions of more than 12 months duration can no longer be granted by the institution alone but need to be approved by the Minister.
This change affects all APA awardees but appears to have significant impact on UMPA Executive members, particularly the full-time office bearers, such as the President, who are required to suspend their scholarships for twelve months to take up their positions. Other academic and personal circumstances may necessitate previous or further suspensions in addition to the twelve months, or indeed a longer term in office. In any case, an UMPA office bearer is more likely to require a suspension of more than 12 months duration.
Advice received indicates, however, that these changes are administrative in nature. The Dean/University is required to approve and recommend to the "Minister" any suspensions of more than 12 months duration. It appears that the "Minister" will be an appointed DEETYA officer who will endorse the University's recommendations.
UMPA has express our concerns to The University of Melbourne Scholarships The Office suggested that despite the extra administrative step, the guidelines will not disadvantage postgraduate scholarship holders, given that the Dean makes recommendations to the "Minister" and the Minister is expected to adopt recommendations from the institution. Furthermore, the scholarships office has agreed to monitor the time taken to process such applications and inform UMPA . It was agreed that it is important to give students adequate information about any possible time delays. The office also agreed to monitor the amount of allocations rejected and accepted, comparing the numbers rejected and accepted between 1997 and 1998 and will pass this information onto UMPA.
UMPA intends to monitor the situation through both the information promised by the Scholarships Office and will also send a notice out to all APA holders to ask for feedback on time delays and possible problems with the new guidelines. If there appears to be any problems UMPA will seek further advice.
In a recent edition of the Postgraduate Association Newsletter, Pgrad. News, the President Alana Chinn wrote: "HECS, for those who are not yet being charged full fees, is now divided up into 'bands' according to discipline not course". The University determines which subjects fall within which discipline, following very broad DEETYA guidelines. According to the guidelines, this allocation is to be done "without regard to the type of academic organisational unit responsible for that unit of study or the course of study in which the unit of study is undertaken". What this means is that a subject undertaken within the Faculty of Education, for example, does not automatically fall within band 1 (the lowest cost band). If the University decides that the subject contains a predominant amount of administration (a band 2 discipline), for example, then the Faculty of Education subject will be charged on that higher basis. This is likely to be a nasty surprise for a student who was expecting to be charged at the lower level.
This issue has been brought to my attention recently, and I am seeking those who may have had such a nasty surprise. If you are one of these people please contact me, so we can co-ordinate our efforts.
No-one came forward with any other example, besides the one of initial concern: the Education subject Human Resource Management Strategies. Alana raised this matter with the VC and the Academic Registrar and the latter said he would follow this up. He has done so and informed UMPA that the subject was appropriately classified plus he included material from the DEETYA manual which shows the prescriptions on the way classification is to occur. UMPA have also received a copy of a memo from the Academic Registrar that went out to all Faculty General Managers seeking co-operation in informing students "are adequately advised at the time of subject selection of the HECS charge applicable for individual subjects". If students are advised incorrectly of the HECS charges, then they should be able to seek recourse through the grievance procedure process.
Please let us know if you have any comments on this issue.
A working group of the Academic Programmes Committee has been established to consider guidelines for higher degree programmes, of which Alana Chinn is a member. These include masters degrees, certificates, diplomas, and non-PhD-doctorates. It will consider four areas of concern. Firstly, appropriate standards, how these are defined and whether they are uniform across faculties. Secondly, the naming of awards, how many are offered and if the number currently offered is desirable. Thirdly, interfaculty co-operation in relation to coursework graduate programmes. Fourthly, approval processes for higher degree programmes and what they should be. Out of the working group are 3 sub-groups looking at standards, naming and interfaculty co-operation. UMPA has representation on all 3 (Alana Chinn on standards, Charlotte Henry on inter-faculty co-operation and David Dutton on naming). UMPA has formed its own working group to look at these issues and draft some policy for UMPA which will form the basis of the response. The UMPA working group consists of Alana, Charlotte, David, Michael Bicknell and Andrew Keynon.
If you have any comments to make, please contact Alana Chinn at UMPA.
UMPA is interested in initiating a symposium around the 50th anniversary of the PhD. It is intended to take a critical look at the PhD, in light of the ever-shrinking opportunities in academia, the rise of professional doctorates, and the falling standards in degrees etc., etc.. Discussions have revealed that it is going to be a bigger undertaking than originally anticipated, since we're intending to involve postgrads from other universities plus CAPA. At least two committees will need to be formed to organise it (an academic cttee and a organising cttee), so we're keen to get others involved.
Let Danielle or Alana know if you are interested in being involved.
Urgent action is needed if the proposed cuts to the journal collection of the Library are to be staved off or at the very least ameliorated. The 2 main arguments that the University puts up are, firstly, that the falling Australian dollar means that imported journal prices have increased and, secondly, that prices for many journals have increased exponentially because of greedy publishing houses.
An UMPA petition is circulating regarding cuts to the collection in the Brownless Medical/Life Sciences Library. There are plans for others to be printed.
Alana has drafted a letter to the VC expressing UMPA's concern. It would be most helpful if each department sent off its own letter, whether combined students/staff or separately. It would be good if letters contained examples of what is going on in each department as well as taking a more global approach.
At the Departmental Group President's Meeting, Alana and Danielle reported that some Faculties had agreed to pay the $6 interlibrary loan fee, whilst other Faculties were still reluctant to take a position. Francis Ebury informed the meeting that he had been to the library that day and was told that he was required to have a departmental account number and a supervisor's signature before being allowed to take out an interlibrary loan, even though the Arts Faculty had agreed to pay the fee for Arts students. This was contrary to information UMPA had received. Danielle explained that it was difficult getting accurate information from the library because it appeared that information was slow to trickle through to all areas of University Administration. UMPA will follow up these issues. Charlotte Henry, Vice-President Education (Coursework) has invested an enormous amount of time and energy into solving the problem. Most Faculties have now agreed to pay the interlibrary loan fee, although with some limits. It appears it is up to individual departments to decide how they want to monitor interlibrary loans. Many Departments are opting for some form of monitoring device, usually in the form of requesting a student obtain their supervisor's signature. UMPA is still trying to secure up-to-date official information from the library before being in a position to advise just what requirements are expected of postgraduates from different departments . Please let us know what difficulties you may be having, or indeed what information you required to take out an interlibrary loan.
As of June 3, Faculties had taken the following position:
As you can see, there are still quite large differences across the University as to how to handle the situation. Please approach the Postgraduate Association with any inquiry. We receive up-dates constantly and keep campaigning to improve the situation. Also check with the library's interlibrary loan desk.
The recent events in Indonesia and the effects on students studying here has brought into sharper focus the need for students to be aware of the types of support available if circumstances in their home countries reach a state of crisis. UMPA (and the University, as a matter of fact) is very keen to help in any way it can, so if you hear of any student in need please let him/her know we're here. Special emergency funds have been made available for International students in need.
The Arts Faculty recently allowed departments to cut tutorials by half in order to administer changes handed down by the University for all subjects to be reduced to 12.5 points. The move to fortnightly tutorials by some subjects in the Arts Faculty threatens the quality of teaching and learning in the Faculty. Postgraduates have also expressed concern about the reduction in their teaching load and the lack of opportunities in teaching experience that might result from this move, and which would be detrimental to their ability to both teach and learn effectively. Although the student representatives called for the Faculty to take a stand and resist the erosion of certain educational principles caused by excessive administrative rationalisation, the Faculty would not make a commitment to the principle of weekly small group teaching. The Undergraduate Studies Committee blamed departments for the move, and undertook to ask departments in the Faculty to review their decision to move to fortnightly tutorials.
As the Faculty was reluctant to uphold the importance of weekly small group teaching, the UMPA Executive arranged a public meeting with MUSU on June 4, in the Public Lecture Theatre, Old Arts, in order to seek clarification on the issues, and protest any move to fortnightly tutorials. meeting and several Faculty staff. A series of motions were to be put to the meeting as follows:
That the Faculty's behaviour allowing for the reduction of small group teaching is unacceptable on pedagogical grounds.
That the Arts Faculty declare its commitment to comprehensive high quality teaching and learning through weekly small group teaching; namely that it amend the document Revision of the Undergraduate Degree Structure to uphold the principle that each subject be taught via a combination of weekly lectures and weekly small group teaching.
That the Faculty adopt a policy that small group teaching (including tutorials and lab sessions) be defined as groups of no more than 15 students.
That a Special meeting of the Undergraduate Studies Committee and Arts Research and Graduate Studies Committee be called in view of the perceived lack of adequate consultation with students and that the Special meeting be held before the 20th of June to address the concerns of the student body.
All Departmental Group presidents are asked to inform students and postgraduates about these issues, and asked to show their support in fighting against the devaluing of small group teaching, even if they do not come from the Arts Faculty. The problems in the Arts Faculty represent a devaluing of pedagogical principles across the university, and the Association needs your help in fighting these issues. Please contact Danielle Petherbridge for more details.
The University currently does not have any policy or charter of minimum standards regarding support and resources for postgraduates. Lack of adequate facilities and services is one of the most prominent issues facing postgraduates on a day to day basis and continues to cause a great deal of consternation. One of our main aims this year is to ensure research into the current standard of facilities and needs of postgraduates is conducted. This includes an audit of all facilities at a departmental level (including outstations) and those provided in the Graduate Centre. The idea is then to create a central reference for all postgraduate students on the issue of Rights, Obligations and Facilities. We intend to produce a publication that informs postgraduates about the academic available to them and list the facilities and services available for postgraduates at department, faculty and University levels. We believe, as postgraduates, the University is obligated to provide certain minimum standards and should not continue to obtain revenue on the basis of postgraduate enrolments unless it agrees to provide these resources. UMPA's approach is to produce comprehensive policy on these issues with which the Association can lobby the University to systematically improve the situation with a view to establishing a charter of postgraduate student rights.
UMPA has already drafted a list of questions which postgraduates should ask of their departments regarding facilities (paper circulated and attached as a separate document). Please let postgraduates in your departments know UMPA is working on this issues and circulate the question sheet. Often postgraduates are not aware of the types of resources they may be entitled to. Alana and Danielle also asked would Presidents and/or committee members of Departmental Groups be willing to partake in a meeting with their Head of Department and Postgraduate Co-ordinator to inform each department of the services UMPA offers and to discuss matters of general interest and concern to postgradautes in departments. Departmental Tours will hopefully be conducted in July. Please look out for further correspondence.
The Council of the Postgraduate Association recently established a committee to review the Association's constitution and governance. Submissions are invited from members on all aspects of the Association's constitutional structure of governance. In particular, we are calling for comment on the following questions: Does the existing constitutional structure best suit the needs of representing postgraduates at the University of Melbourne and governing the Association's affairs? Would the replacement of the existing advisory committee structure with more formal committees, and the reduction of the Executive Committee's duties improve the Association's governance or the representation of postgraduates? Should there be changes to the titles and responsibilities of the Association's officers? Other comments and suggestions are welcome.
Submissions may be made in writing or by contacting Danielle Petherbridge on ph: 9344 8683 or Email: d.petherbridge@umpa.unimelb.edu.au. A copy of the Association's constitution is attached to this report. Please circulate amongst your committees and postgraduates in your department. Please return comment quickly.
Danielle explained that the funding guidelines and applications for departmental group funding had recently been changed. Most groups at the meeting were aware of the changes. Comment was invited about the suitability of the new funding system. Concern was raised that the Association take into account the variance across departments in the number of postgraduates enrolled, and the way funding is attributed. Please direct any further comment or concern to Danielle.
UMPA wants to ensure postgraduates have adequate representation on all relevant departmental committees. These may include departmental boards and research and graduate studies committees. There should be adequate means for postgraduates to interact within departmental administrative and academic structures. Please contact UMPA if you feel you do not have an adequate forum to voice postgraduate concerns, or if you require assistance in ensuring postgraduate representatives sit on relevant committees.
Sarah Roberts, Publications Officer, attended the meeting and called for input, comment and articles for the Associations publications. Articles for the Postgraduate Review are welcome, as are articles for the Asscoiation's fortnightly newsletter, Pgrad. News, particularly on issues and information about your postgraduate departmental group. Please forward inquiries to Sarah.
UMPA looks forward to the next meeting with Departmental Group Committee members to be held early in Second Semester.
Chi Keen LOW (clow@cs.mu.oz.au)