Angst on JCU cuts
Academics react to job losses
Health said JAMES Cook University faces close scrutiny by academics and the National Tertiary Education Union over its plans to axe up to 15 Cairns jobs.
Yesterday the university announced it would dump a range of courses, restructure academic divisions and shift more classes online.
Thirty-two staff across JCU’s Cairns and Townsville campuses would be axed under the proposed changes which the university claimed would children under six, the elderly, people with chronic disease and compromised immune systems were all at risk of dying if they caught flu.
Queensland Health’s Tropical Public Health Services director Richard Gair confirmed that the number of new flu “ensure the university is more responsive to changing student demand and is financially sustainable”.
The university’s Cairnsbased NTEU branch president Dr Jonathan Strauss said the proposed job cuts and restructure would be put under the microscope.
“We only received the change proposal this afternoon. We are looking at it closely. Staff are very concerned that their jobs are at cases was rising in Far North Queensland.
“I think that some people may not realise how serious the flu can be, and this might account for the fact that less people get vaccinated than could be vaccinated.”
The Cairns and Hinterland risk. This approach by the university will be put under the spotlight.”
Face-to-face classes in Cairns could be cut from bachelor degrees in psychological science, sport and exercise science, and exercise physiology.
The university plans to merge several academic departments across IT, science, engineering and geosciences, reduce its arts degree offerings and end its Master of Economics program. The proposed Hospital and Health Service has recorded 266 cases of influenza already this year, compared with a total of 2329 influenza cases in 2017.
Dr Gair said flu seasons in tropical regions like Cairns had two peak infection periods, compared with temperate climates changes include offering communication and design, and media and visual arts, as majors in the Bachelor of Arts in Townsville and Cairns respectively to replace the Bachelor of Creative Arts and Media in Cairns and Townsville.
JCU senior deputy vicechancellor Chris Cocklin said the changes would better position the university to deal with increased competition and limited resources.
“Australian universities are which had only one peak at the start of winter.
Dr Gair also rubbished claims that influenza vaccinations caused some people to get a mild case of flu.
“It doesn’t. It prevents flu, it prevents disease and it prevents hospitalisation.” undergoing massive transformation including increased competition for students and resources, as well as reduced government funding,” he said.
“The proposed changes will provide a more focused and responsive approach to the changing demographics of our student base. We are focused on the demands of students and delivering the future workforce for our regions.”
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