The Ramsay Western Civ Centre is talking to St George’s, “the premier residential college” at the University of Western Australia
“UWA has been informed that St George’s College and The Ramsay Centre for Western Civilisation are in very early discussions about the possibility of St George’s hosting a summer school on the influences and impact of western civilisations, particularly in relation to Western Australia,” a UWA representative told CMM yesterday.
“St George’s has floated the idea of a partnership with UWA, and the chair of the university’s Academic Board arranged a meeting last night to discuss the matter. As this proposal is still in its early stages, there are no details of how such a course might be administered.”
Academic Board chair is finance professor Raymond da Silva Rosa.
Professor da Silva Rosa tells CMM he has “instigated” a series of “collegial conversations for board members” and “other UWA stakeholders”. The first of them was on Tuesday night and discussed the possibility of a summer school to be jointly run by St George’s and the Ramsay Centre. Professor da Silva Rosa points out that the college is free to run such an event independently but is interested in exploring potential engagement with the wider university.
“There was a lively discussion for two hours,” on Tuesday, with “vigorous engagement in the debate from the several students who also attended,” Professor da Silva Rossa adds.
Which is where the matter stands, for now. “The aim is to have a conversation that might lead to a decision or resolution debated at a future formal meeting of Academic Board,” Professor da Siva Rossa told board members in his invitation.
The possibility of which appears to be noted by the campus branch of the National Tertiary Education Union. “The (Ramsay) Centre’s ideological premise conflicts with the principle of independent critical inquiry at the heart of our universities,” branch president Sanna Peden says.
UWA’s chancellor is Robert French, author of the report on campus free speech which includes a model code covering visitors to campus, now being discussed at universities across the country.