Prof jobs facing the axe
The humanities are on the chopping block at Waikato University. Seventeen academic staff will lose their jobs if a proposal goes ahead.
It’s because so few students are enrolling in the arts and social sciences. Some classrooms have just one student. Part of the proposal is to boost minimum class sizes before a programme can run.
Staff say job losses will hurt the university, especially future students.
But Professor Allison Kirkman, author of the proposal, said the intention is to strengthen the humanities.
‘‘The numbers have either been fairly static for many years or, for the last three years, numbers overall have been declining,’’ she said.
‘‘There have been classes in the faculty, particularly in the fourthyear honours level, where there might be one or two students.
‘‘If you look at trends, you can see there are subjects that are more popular at certain periods of time than others. A university of this size cannot teach every subject. We need to have a comprehensive degree for the Bachelor of Arts and Social Sciences.
‘‘I’m hoping it will strengthen the faculty.’’
There is only one student enrolled to major in Studies and Religion and six have it as a supporting paper. ‘‘It’s not as if religion won’t be taught at the university, it’s just not going to be a programme in its own right.’’
The proposal was announced during a lunchtime concert at the university this week.
Concern came from a surprising quarter: Massey University science and ecology lecturer Dr Mike Joy.
‘‘I teach environmental science and my best students have humanities backgrounds because they can think more broadly.
‘‘It’s very well studying the scientific stuff, but the science is lost in the politics and the human side of things . . . ’’
Joy said no one can be sure of future jobs, so it’s better to have people who can think critically.
‘‘What I try hard to do is to teach students how to be critical and how to question and think and research and understand things,’’ Joy said.
‘‘That’s why the humanities are so important. They give people that broad understanding of where we fit in society and all of the realities of things that people need to understand that they’re not going to get by narrowing down on some vocational thing.
‘‘The world’s changing hugely, so the best thing we can do is turn out students who can think and can understand and can research
and be critical and get their heads around all of these complex issues.’’
‘‘The GDP and the numbers they’re talking about, we know that’s totally flawed. The things that really matter to humans do not have an economic value.’’
Senior lecturer in the School of Social Science, Lars Brabyn, who is co-president of the Tertiary Education Union (TEU), said members are concerned as to what the job cuts mean long term for the arts and social sciences.
‘‘Losing 17 of our colleagues will have a huge impact on teaching,’’ Brabyn said.
‘‘We recognise this is only a proposal, but clearly it is the direction senior management wants the university to head in. We will be doing everything we can to explain the detrimental impact the proposal will have, not only on staff but on future generations of students.
‘‘Now more than ever we need graduates of the arts and social sciences with questioning and curious minds. If these proposals go through, it will be increasingly unlikely that these minds will come from Waikato.’’
Former University of Waikato screen and media lecturer Sam Edwards said the university failed to communicate with the city.
He said many organisations outside of the university would be affected by this.
His concern is backed by TEU president Sandra Gray, who said the university should be looking at the needs of the community, not just the economics.
Gray said the proposal devalues the social sciences and humanities by ‘‘turning education into a commodity a student should purchase in order to get a job, rather an opportunity to develop a broad understanding of the world . . .’’
Creative Waikato chief executive Sarah Nathan said Hamilton is on its way to becoming the city that’s known for its arts. ‘‘We have to keep that momentum growing and provide opportunities for people who want to come to Hamilton . . . arts is a big part of that.’’ A person is dead and another seriously injured after a train and car collided near Morrinsville yesterday afternoon.
A resident who lives nearby says the crossing, at the intersection of State Highway 26 and Piako Road, needs barrier arms.
An eyewitness, Leah Conway, lives directly opposite the train tracks.
She said she heard the train coming around 3.10pm, but she didn’t hear the warning bells, which she thought was unusual.
‘‘I heard the impact,’’ she said.
‘‘It was a massive bang, so I ran out to see what was going on and there was a tyre sitting in my driveway next to my wheelie bin.’’
The tyre travelled about 300m from the site of impact.
KiwiRail’s group general manager of asset management David Gordon said KiwiRail’s monitoring system showed the bells and warning lights were operating at the time of the crash.
The 716-metre long freight train was ferrying goods between Auckland and Tauranga.
He said the driver was not injured in the collision, but has been stood down from duties and he will receive additional support as is usual procedure.
‘‘KiwiRail is saddened by the loss of life and offers sincere condolences to the friends and families of those affected,’’ Gordon said in a statement.
Conway has lived at her property on Piako Road for seven years and said there have been many crashes at the intersection.
‘‘There needs to be better safety measures put in place, for a start. [Barrier] arms need to be installed on that train track. I really feel for the people who were in that car,’’ she said.
‘‘That’s why my mum, who owns the other property on our section, has planted a row of trees at the front of my house.
‘‘I’ve got six kids and imagine if one of them was playing out there when the tyre came flying into the driveway?’’
Police confirmed one person is dead and the Serious Crash Unit is investigating.
New Zealand Transport Agency posted that SH26 and Piako Road were closed yesterday and there were detours in place.
Business
World