‘This isn’t just a degree, it’s our future’: UTAS arts students rally to save courses

Students are using social media to appeal to UTAS decision makers to save a course — that if culled, would threaten Tasmania’s cultural future.

Jess Rainbow and Holly Scott UTAS theatre major students who are wanting UTAS to see value in protecting the theatre degree. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

A passionate group of University of Tasmania arts students are fighting to save their courses calling arts education the “beating heart” of Tasmania’s creative future.

Faced with proposed cuts to arts and humanities programs, students have launched a grassroots campaign to “save UTAS arts”, with efforts ramping up on social media and in direct appeals to university leadership.

Theatre students have been particularly vocal in opposing the loss of one of only three full-time theatre staff in the state.

Speaking to the Mercury, students expressed disbelief and sadness at the timing and impact of the decision, labelling it “devastating”.

“We are rehearsing for a show, we’ve got assessments due, and now we’ve been told that one of our hardworking theatre staff is being cut,” theatre student and campaign organiser Jess Rainbow said.

“This isn’t just a degree, it’s our future.”

Jess Rainbow and Holly Scott UTAS theatre major students who are wanting UTAS to see value in protecting the theatre degree. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

The university is proposing to axe 13 full-time staff through targeted and voluntary redundancies as part of a significant restructure of its humanities, social sciences, creative arts, and media schools, with student numbers continuing to fall.

UTAS offers the only university-level theatre degree in Tasmania, with students arguing the course is already stretched thin and losing even one staff member would make it impossible to deliver a full major.

“You can’t teach theatre online,” Ms Rainbow said.

“It’s collaborative by nature so cut just one person and you’re gutting the entire program.”

Another theatre student Lucia Poljansek expressed concern that cuts to theatre would impact the local creative arts scene by sending students to the mainland, excluding those who can’t afford to move.

“Hobart’s art scene is really important, and it’s growing,” she said.

“We’ve got Mona, we’ve got Dark Mofo, there’s global recognition for Hobart’s creative scene, there are so many opportunities for great art here and we need to keep that going.”

Students said the cuts showed a lack of understanding in the value of the arts and humanities, taking to sharing videos of their stories in support of the campaign.

In a video posted on the campaign’s Instagram, business student Nick called the cuts “disappointing”, saying students need to put their support behind the arts faculty and the campaign.

“UTAS needs to put away their hacksaw and stop cutting jobs so carelessly,” he said.

A four-week staff consultation period regarding the potential changes was launched last week but students said they feel the cuts will inevitably target creative courses.

“It feels like someone looked at a spreadsheet and went, ‘cut that,’ without knowing anything about what we do,” Ms Rainbow said.

“I don’t want to talk down UTAS, they’re doing what they have to, but we still care about theatre and the arts and we want people to know that,” Ms Poljansek said.

UTAS interim academic lead for the College of Arts, Law and Education, Professor Lisa Fletcher said the cuts were in response to significant student decline with the university proposing several options to staff.

Professor Fletcher said the university was open to further “sensible, sustainable” suggestions from staff that can support “compelling offerings and impactful research”.

Originally published as ‘This isn’t just a degree, it’s our future’: UTAS arts students rally to save courses