HASS student numbers are down – management and union disagree on what to do

Federation U wants to cut six FTE positions in humanities and social sciences, citing a continuing decline in on-campus and on-line EFTS studying BA courses since 2016.

To which the campus branch of the National Tertiary Education Union responds this is due to management changing courses, “without properly consulting staff.” The union adds management also ignores that staff teach “hundreds of students” in other programmes.

According to the union, reductions will make worse declines in student numbers. It proposes other savings including, reducing management staff, an external review, “or waiting to assess the impact of new marketing initiatives.”