Sandy Bay development positive move
I AM a business owner in both Sandy Bay and in the city, having been in Sandy Bay for six years now and in town for two.
The development in Sandy Bay to residential can only be good.
Currently the amount of business we get from students during the day is minimal.
Having the Sandy Bay campus turned into residential will be a great thing for business in Sandy Bay as there will be a large up-tick of people in the area, which will probably reignite Sandy Bay during the day and no doubt night-time activity will increase as well.
The Sandy Bay shopping area desperately needs a refresh and this development will encourage new investment in shops and would probably see more investment in infrastructure by government and council.
Having three separate businesses in the city, one of which is within the Arts Law campus in Hunter Street, having more students in town will generate more traffic to businesses surrounding it.
All the fuss about Sandy Bay seems to forget that new housing and new people will address some higher issues, such as housing and unemployment. Richard Scarr
Sandy Bay
JUST A TOKEN GESTURE
WHAT is the point of an 80-panel talkfest when Rufus Black remains steadfast that “Uni talks won’t stop city move”?
No open-minded response to community concerns on this important issue here, more a token gesture on the part of Mr Black.
MOVE A FAIT ACCOMPLI
THE Britannica Dictionary definition of “consultation’’ states that it is “a discussion about something that is being
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decided”. It is puzzling therefore when the UTAS Vice-Chancellor, Rufus Black, announces the setting up of an 80-member consultation panel to rubber-stamp the decision to move the university campus into Hobart’s CBD.
The leafy and picturesque Sandy Bay campus will be demolished to make way for 2700 homes, a hotel, retail and community faculties.
Educational pods covering many academic disciplines will be parachuted into an already space-challenged CBD to compete with all the other commercial activities.
It seems that this plan is already a fait accompli, and no amount of socalled “consultation’’ will reverse the decision. In the meantime, there will be many potential students who will be questioning whether to study at UTAS or go elsewhere where they can have a genuine university experience on a learning-friendly campus.
Ed Sianski West Moonah
PROFOUND DISAPPOINTMENT
AS an alumni myself and parent of two children who received law degrees from UTAS, I was greatly disappointed to hear the current vice-chancellor’s comments both on ABC TV news and on ABC morning radio on July 14.
His statement that there is no chance the move will not go ahead makes a mockery of the new consultation process.
His continued protestations about listening clearly show there is no listening with understanding to the views of others as he seems unwilling to compromise in any way on the move.
The disregard and patronising comments repeating that the move is going ahead clearly shows listening with understanding applies to only those in favour of the move.
Even more of a concern is the viewpoint frequently expressed by the current vice-chancellor that it is worldclass buildings and equipment that make a great institution of learning.
Surely it is the people, the staff that are the most important part of a learning and research institution. The degradation of the law school and the loss of so many talented staff across so many disciplines is of great concern, more than the proposed and inevitable move.
A move to the city with new buildings is not going to make a great university. A great learning and teaching environment is created where the prime objective is creating a rich culture of fostering curiosity and where students and their teachers feel highly valued, unafraid to express their opinions, given opportunities to collaborate, problem-solve and ask the big questions. Universities are institutions where there should be free exchange of ideas, as long as they are respectfully expressed.
Profound disappointment in the current process is tragic for all Tasmanians and the simplistic view that new buildings in the city of Hobart are going to engage Tasmanians in university education and inspire us all without high-quality teaching staff and research opportunities seems to be very sadly lacking common sense and demonstrates a lack of understanding of the complexity of engaging populations in education opportunities.
M. Thompson Dolphin Sands
GIVE HIM THE OLD HEAVE-HO
IS Rufus being “ruffless” with our university?
His, and to my knowledge, the Hobart Lord Mayor’s opinion is that students will boost store sales in the CBD.
Does that mean that stores in the Sandy Bay Shopping Centre will lose out and possibly close down because of a lack of students? I personally think that Rufus needs the old heave-ho.
Ian Batchelor
Margate