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Posters put up by Students Against Cuts – a student group from Victoria University and Massey University organising against staff and course cuts – were torn down by campus staff during an open day on Friday.
Students fighting to stop a proposal that could see more than 250 jobs slashed at their university were left in shock after protest posters were torn down by campus staff.
Students Against Cuts organiser Pat Biss said the group, made up of staff and students, put up posters during an open day at Te Herenga Waka–Victoria University of Wellington on Friday to raise awareness of the job cuts proposed in an effort to address a deficit of more than $34 million.
“If people are wanting to come to the university, they ought to know what they’re getting into,” Biss said.
The purpose of an open day was to showcase what the university was about, but despite getting permission from the university prior to the open day, posters were torn down as they were put up.
A video of a campus care staff ripping down posters from noticeboards was posted to the group’s social media.
The posters read: “Staff are the heart of VUW. Don’t cut them out” and “My course was cut, will yours be next?”
It showed a silencing of students who disagreed with the university’s proposals which was disgraceful, Biss said.
“We were encouraging people to get involved with trying to save our university and trying to save our education and show solidarity with staff.
“It sends a message … that the university administration are all behaving very crassly and punitively towards anyone who wants to speak out about anything.”
Simon Johnson, the university’s acting chief operating officer, said the posters were removed “due to a misunderstanding”.
The university respected and strongly supported its students rights to express their views, Johnson said.
“We apologise to the student group involved.”
Biss said while the group appreciated the apology, it came across as “after-the-fact damage control”, which was only given as a result of the incident being filmed and widely viewed on social media.
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The group and union members have described the incident as “shocking” and “inappropriate”, while the university said the incident was a result of a misunderstanding and apologised to the group.
“Regardless of anything else, the uni admin’s first instinct was to order staff to tear down our posters in an attempt to silence us and there’s a lot more to be read from that than there is from their Twitter apology.”
Dougal McNeill, the Tertiary Education Union branch president at Victoria University of Wellington, said it was “inappropriate and disturbing” to see what appeared to be suppression of student speech.
“It was an open day here where staff who may not have a job next year and may see their subjects abolished next year, had to present the university to potential students,” McNeill said.
“We did that with professionalism but if management thinks they can hide their cuts behind censorship, then they have another thing coming.”
Biss is a music student, studying composition. “That course as it stands looks like it’s going to be absolutely gutted,” they said.
“As things continue to look worse and worse, and uni administration continues to politely tolerate us less and less, I don’t think that’s any motivation for us to respond with anything other than more effort and more organising.”
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