UTAS students are sick of online learning and are seeking a voice

A push is on to establish a new union for University of Tasmania students feeling left out of the Sandy Bay city relocation saga, while it’s been revealed the results of an upcoming elector poll on the relocation may not count for much. DETAILS>>>

A PUSH is on to establish a new union for University of Tasmania students feeling left out of the Sandy Bay city relocation saga and debate around online versus on-campus learning.

Third year economics student Josh Stagg said he wanted to start a new union because the quality of education at the university was declining.

“We are still really fresh we are currently going around the campus talking to people, putting up posters,” Mr Stagg said.

“My peers and I just find it very difficult to have a voice amid the university’s restructure. We have found that even though we are on-campus students for the most part, all of our lectures have been moved online. There’s no quality control sometimes they are recordings from previous years.

“For third year students we have one three-hour workshop every three weeks and that is our only interaction with our peers and professors. It’s pretty bad. I’ve personally applied for postgraduate interstate because there’s no difference to me studying distance at another university.”

Josh Stagg UTAS economics student and founder of University Student Union for UTAS students. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Mr Stagg said the established Tasmanian University Students Association was now mostly focused on clubs and societies.

Director of Student Life and Enrichment Steph Taylor said the university’s goal was to provide the best possible student experience.

“The student voice is critical to helping us achieve this. We have a strong partnership with the Tasmanian University Student Association and have done for a very long time,” Ms Taylor said.

“While we haven’t been directly approached by this group, if there is any group of students … who want to engage with the University about the student experience, we will always welcome the opportunity.”

‘Incredibly arrogant’: will elector poll sway UTAS?

The result of an elector poll on whether Hobart voters support the University of Tasmania’s campus move from Sandy Bay to the CBD will not influence a change of mind on the move, UTAS vice chancellor Rufus Black says.

On Wednesday Prof. Black urged community members who wanted a say on the move to sign up for an 80 person consultation panel, as expressions of interest close on Sunday.

Prof. Black has previously said the feedback that comes from the panel will not be enough to change the course of the move.

“Part of it is answering questions and solving problems together,” Prof. Black said.

“People have clearly raised concerns about parking, they’ve raised concerns about transport, they’ve raised concerns about retail, they’re all things if we work together we should be able to create solutions that improve Hobart.”

Save UTAS Campus chair Pam Sharpe was offered a place on the panel but declined.

“I’ve refused to go on the panel because the vice chancellor has already given us the result,” Prof. Sharpe said.

“All the panel can do is refine the project, they can’t save the campus, it’s not going to achieve that.”

Professor Pam Sharpe of Save UTAS campus group. Professor Sharpe is an ex-UTAS academic who has formed a lobby group opposed to UTAS plans to relocate the Sandy Bay campus to the city. Picture: Nikki Davis-Jones

Prof. Black said Prof. Sharpe’s feedback would have been welcomed.

“We would have valued her voice very much, that’s why we offered her an invitation,” he said.

Prof. Black said he looked forward to another form of feedback, the result of the elector poll after local government elections.

The poll will be sent out with voting packs and is not compulsory.

Prof. Black said the poll would not be enough to cancel the move.

“It won’t influence a change of mind on the move but it’ll tell us very clearly what kind of things we need to be attending to, to make sure the move actually works,” he said.

“They are of course only one part of Greater Hobart, Greater Hobart’s four times bigger than the centre of the city, we’re interested in everybody’s view.”

“That’s incredibly arrogant,” Ms Sharpe said.

“We’ve no idea what the outcome of the poll will be but if there’s a large number of people in the community who don’t want the move, they’d have to rethink.

“I think it will be like a big festering sore, it would be huge resentment against the university.”