University of Wollongong academics haven't been too happy with the gradual 'eroding of power' of the university's top academic body.
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But elected Academic Senate members were celebrating a small win this week.
It is history now that the Academic Senate rejected the fast-tracked approval of the controversial Ramsay Centre degree in Western Civilisation.
But three months later UOW Council used executive powers to give the final tick of approval.
The controversial new Bachelor of Arts in Western Civilisation degree is set to start early next year.
But right from the outset critics hit out at the "secret and confidential" nature of the deal struck between UOW and the Ramsay Centre.
On Wednesday those elected Academic Senate members were celebrating after fighting back attempts to make discussion and resolutions about the Ramsay degree confidential.
Members expressed concern that the imposition of confidentiality on a discussion held on July 10, 2019 meant that it could no longer serve the university community and its commitment to transparency.
"With the confidentiality lifted [on Wednesday] Senate members can now speak freely about the July Senate resolution where a vote was won by ample majority instructing UOW Council "that due diligence means that Academic Senate is consulted on academic matters" (the confidentiality on the discussion itself remained)," senior politics lecturer Dr Marcelo Svirsky said.
Dr Svirsky and fellow Law, Humanities and the Arts academics Professor Fiona Probyn-Rapsey, Claire Lowrie, Sharon Quah, Jane Carey and Keith Horton moved the successful motion to lift the confidentiality.
Senate's position on this matter is supported by a petition from the LHA Faculty signed by 75 per cent of staff that has criticised the process by which the Ramsay degree was introduced in the university.
"We were not happy at the UOW Council decision in June to approve the degree and in doing so vacating the Academic Senate's rights and responsibilities to provide academic oversight," Dr Svirsky said.
"Proper democratic conversation in the Senate is still in fact subordinated to the executive will of council and the vice-chancellor but nevertheless we managed to embarrass management and to put forward quite a bold resolution and win.
"To our own university we are saying, we are still expressing our critical opinion on this degree and on the way it was accepted.
"To the broader academic community in Australia, we are saying if this comes to your door you need to fight it and we are showing a way how to fight it.
"Even though we haven't won the big battle, we are still not giving up. The win in the Senate means we are expanding the limit of the boundaries of the conversation, which is important.".
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Agron Latifi
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
Wollongong born and bred. I love reporting about the Illawarra region and have been doing it for more than 20 years. I've moved into sport recently after covering the education round for the last five plus years for the Illawarra Mercury. It's been a great pleasure.
