Who is going to educate the educators?

Here is Lee Duffield’s take on the University of Queensland current situation during Covid. Let us not forget that the University Senate approved an honorary doctorate for sir Joh Bjelke-Peterson the corrupt premier of Queensland. The senate took this insane step after the Premier had sacked 1001 SEQEB workers in order to introduce contract labour. Both academic and non-academic staff suffer to this day from the introduction of contract labour in the education sector. This led to the largest strike in recent memory of all universities including the University of Queensland NTEU members in October 2022. Union members marched to King George Square where there was a rally of considerable size in support of challenging university management’s idea of University workers being seen as merely the supply side of the neoliberal economic model. As an aboriginal auntie asked me once: “Who is going to educate the educators?“
– Ian Curr, Editor, 7 Feb 2023

__oOo__

University of Queensland in 2023

Things are different and look like continuing to be different since the COVID pandemic, creating adjustment problems for universities, especially UQ going into 2023.

ADJUSTING TO THE IDEA OF AN INTERNATIONALISED UNIVERSITY

At the start of February the Chinese government’s cancellation of Internet courses for their students, caused pressure on airline services to get them back onto campus. It was a reminder of the way Higher Education has been internationalised. The Senate was told in November that the percentage of International Students in the whole cohort of 17% was set to expand to 39% comfortably by mid-century. It signals continued heavy dependence on that sector, with two aspects: universities consider they need the money, from fees, and do not expect a major revival of government funding, if they want to expand; and current educational doctrine requires that students fit their studies, vocationally to demands of the global economy, while doing a substantial amount of their course-work at overseas universities.  Fees will be paid both ways but with Australia still holding a strong balance of payments advantage because of the high demand for full degree courses here.   

KEEPING UP STANDARDS AND WATCHING THE BOTTOM LINE

UQ as one of the long-established, Group of Eight universities, has always got Queensland’s main share of best-qualified students and has taken a leading position in research funding and achievement. Not an automatic achievement, it has required conscious management, for example the drive to maintain a “top 50” rating among world universities for research. Much of the income from International Student fees goes to matching research grants, to build up the total research effort. The universities compete in survey ratings, on additional criteria like strength of enrolments, student satisfaction or commercialisation of research. I was surprised late in 2022 to hear of some dropping off of performance, the university slipping behind G of 8 partners on competitiveness and quality measures. You cannot make a fetish of the metrics, equally cannot have a complacent or sedated kind of campus environment, oblivious to the competitive world outside. Strategic Performance Measures will keep coming and be monitored.

BUILDINGS SQUEEZE AND UQ UNION PRECINCT

With the return of international enrolments not so far getting to pre-COVID revenue levels, and the supply chain and like problems pushing up inflation last year, there was cost pressure on building work to which the university was committed. Thankfully we are not in a building frenzy; new projects are limited. With adjustments, undertakings such as the Health and Recreation Precinct (HARP), and replacement of flammable cladding on several buildings have been budgeted for, and key design contracts called for the rebuild of the Union Precinct.

Those Union complex contracts are for an Interpretive Brief and a Design Brief, to be provided by outside consultants not in-house. As you know I have been wanting to see this project maintain some priority, and asked for the documents to be provided to all Senate members, which was agreed to, at this date waiting to receive official copies. I have also asked for an arrangement to allow general public access to information on progress with this work, on the way through. The Vice Chancellor has advised that management are hoping to receive the draft for a Master Plan in the second quarter of 2023. The undertaking is, that once both UQ and the University of Queensland Union are satisfied with the draft they will share it with the broader community, “to review and provide feedback”. Information on the Union Precinct project is being posted on a university website.

FREE SPEECH AND ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

New plans have been developed in recent years on the “free speech” issue, setting out positions for the university on both “outsider” activities on campus, and the rights of students and staff; and plans also on student misconduct and academic integrity, at this time focused on the problem with cheating.

The policy on visiting speakers and the like is liberal, in the sense that all are free to speak, with some practical restraints, for example requiring that organisers of an event may be asked to pay for security. On my reading, staff and students are protected under the policy, to speak as they want, on campus and during off-campus university activities, particularly in their academic discipline areas. It states also:

“Public comment by staff in their professional capacity should not be constrained by reason of their employment by the university.”

Beyond that no special protection is formally offered for activities outside, such as being in demonstrations. My comment has been that this might bring problems some day, thinking back to events of the 1970s when the Coalition government put bans on street protest and leaders were attacked in parliament. The University at the time provided support, for example not responding to demands for the sacking of academic staff members. I’d expect it to go much the same way today.

“LESS PUNITIVE” POLICY ON CHEATING

The policy of Student Misconduct and Academic Integrity is detailed and on the issue of cheating has set up procedures described as “less punitive, more educative and remedial”. These procedures have been worked on since 2018. If a student comes under investigation their case will be handled by one of 58 Integrity Officers, normally with academic background, in the Faculties. It is expected that in the great majority of cases where a student is at fault, as an outcome they will receive a “Conduct Notice” that will go on a database. Where matters are considered serious they will go to Misconduct Committees with senior staff representation, and more serious charges are “escalated” for handling in a “central” system, including the University Misconduct Board. At the more rarefied levels the issue of G Grades (indelible black mark), suspension or exclusion remain in force.

 Studies of the assessment issue, for example in information provided to the University Academic Board, have shown a concentration of breaches at first-year undergraduate and first-year post-graduate levels, with little recidivism; taken to indicate that main problems are to do with not knowing the rules — hence the educative approach. Data available to date on contract cheating, e.g. paying an assignment writing service, has shown this is not extensive, or at least largely undetected at this time. Clearly academic honesty is at the core of the university’s mission and I have taken the trouble to confirm that it is going to continue on the Senate agenda during the coming meetings. I recently received this fairly common “zero tolerance” response about the cheating issue, talking with a former student who has gone on to study Speech Therapy:

“One of the reasons cheating is wrong is that you are there to actually learn; I might not know what to do when practising and cause a lot of harm.”

In October in  response to discussion at the Senate the university upgraded breaches of academic integrity in its table of Top Risks, classed as a risk of damage to UQ’s reputation for academic excellence.

DIARY ENTRIES

Enterprise Bargaining for UQ staff. Negotiations started becoming tense four months ago after the union, the NTEU, applied to begin protected industrial action. On 19 September I attended a meeting called by the Union in the Great Court, to observe and become informed, and asked for a briefing on the EA to be given to the Senate on 22 September, thinking it was a crucial matter for the governing body to keep under review. The briefing was provided by the Provost, Prof Aidan Byrne; comprehensive and putting the issue in the context of pay and conditions issues nationally. Two elements to note: The university has been engaging casual staff, in a sense making up for job losses in that area during COVID, though pressure still continues for enhanced job security – more full-time work. Some of the rhetoric on the union side is about employees feeling “over-managed” – too much corporatisation. Negotiations, and actions were set to resume late in February.

Service on the Senate Advancement and Community Engagement Committee, the last on 22 November. The committee has a major interest in the campaign to extend UQ throughout the Queensland community including regional and rural areas, and it oversees fund raising through philanthropic giving to the university. Still short of the American tradition of giving, this had brought in $40.6-million in the first ten months of last year, with 36450 people contacted; helpful while in the prevailing economic circumstances falling short on targets and trailing the 2021 performance by 18%. UQ’s total operating revenue is in the area of $2-billion p.a. One observation on committees: When the Senate works through its marathon agendas, a percentage of members is already informed on agenda items through having worked on those topics at the committee stage – an argument for “larger” Senates and against replacing them with small specialist boards.  

Taking part in four of the Graduation ceremonies, on 12 and 15 December. At the end the Chancellor’s exhortation to graduates says: “I encourage you to proudly champion the University’s values: pursue excellence in all your endeavours; shape our world through creative and independent thinking; and act with honesty and accountability in your dealings with others.” That is something to work on, broader and deeper than bottom-line business under Universities Inc. To attend these events, among other things it drives home the impacts of so many International Students, heavily represented in the ranks of graduands waiting the receive their UQ degrees.

Lee Duffield PhD
Independent Australia, Pacific Journalism Review
University of Queensland Senate – member elected by UQ graduates 
7 Feb 2023