Petition to save art history programme
‘‘ARTS matter’’ is the message from thousands of students who have signed a petition in a bid to stop the university ditching its art history programme.
University of Otago students are now also appealing to Dunedin art galleries and other stakeholders to show their support before a university senate meeting tomorrow, when senate members will consider a proposal to end the programme in 2020.
Nearly 1500 people have signed an online petition, started last week by Student Voice Otago, and paper petitions have been circulating around the university campus, gathering about 1000 more signatures.
Hundreds of people have left messages on the online petition, including ‘‘arts matter’’ and ‘‘save humanities’’.
The petition will be presented at the university senate meeting on Wednesday.
Late last week the Student Voice group and Otago University Students’ Association also distributed a letter saying a public meeting would be held in the university’s main union common room tomorrow at 12.15pm.
Among those invited to the meeting were representatives from the Dunedin Public Art Gallery, the Dunedin Fringe Festival, art galleries around the city, MPs and Dunedin city councillors.
Student Voice member Matthew Schep said a ‘‘public support rally’’ to show solidarity for art history and the humanities would be held outside the clocktower the following day, during the university senate meeting.
Enrolments in art history dropped from more than 80 equivalent fulltime students in 2014 to fewer than 19 this year.
Humanities provice chancellor Prof Tony Ballantyne said last month that the staffing situation in the art history department had been reassessed during the fouryear period, when staff chose to leave or retire.
Due to low enrolment numbers, the university had not sought fulltime replacements but had appointed parttime or fixedterm staff members.
A meeting was held last month to inform art history students of the proposed changes.
Art history student Hannah Gunther said she was ‘‘deeply disappointed in the university’s lack of value placed upon arts’’ and felt art history was worthwhile.
‘‘While it has been difficult to accept this slashandburn mentality that has gone on for much of my degree. I have never regretted choosing it,’’ she said.