Funding Social Sciences at The University of Auckland
+ Update 24/08/2020
We have met with Prof. Simon Holdaway.
Clarification has been provided about the provisional nature of the budget. As the university is still negotiating access to international students and defining financial recovery plans, preparing for the future has been difficult university-wide. While the difficult situation of planning around COVID-19 is one that I empathise with, I still believe it is important that the sentiment of students is to be considered.
It is difficult to propose solutions to such a complex problem, but that doesn't remove the importance of representation. The short-term effects of financial cuts to tutoring budgets and academic pathways will not be equitable, and as student concerns, must be presented to university decision-makers. In all choices the university makes, we need to help outline the consequences for the student body and make sure they have been contemplated. I believe we have made great headway in building a collection of student concerns going into a COVID-19 recovery university environment. This collection is one that can develop and change over time, and if you have concerns, I implore you to utilise your student representatives; AUSA, UOA Council Student representative or even myself to make sure you, and your perspective is heard.
The success of this letter in spotlighting student's funding concerns has not yet run its course. The amazing support you have provided will be wielded by student organisations, faculty and others in negotiating and working towards the most beneficial outcomes for students.
The Arts Student Organisation (ASO) is paying attention to this category of concern and is planning further moves. Any information or perspective you can provide them would certainly assist. (asoexecutive@gmail.com)
Thank you.
– Java (jgra818)
Letter for Professor Simon Holdaway | Head of Social Sciences @ UOA
Kia Ora Simon,
We’ve recently been informed about the funding cuts in the School of Social Sciences and would like to register our concerns. We believe there will be harmful consequences for students’ mental health and academic career planning while also decreasing student retention and engagement.
Tutor Cuts
Teaching assistants have made my time at The University of Auckland an engaging, enjoyable experience, directing me towards academic and personal success. The removal of 1/3rd of tutor funding will transform many classes from lecture & tutorial formats into lectorials which attempt to prompt students response after the completion of given lectures. The effects of which are inequitable, less engaging, and provide less opportunity for personal path-finding, preventing the inspiring interactions I have experienced for future cohorts of students.
Not all students can verbally engage within large class sizes. Anxiety is a common reason that students may not wish to ask questions or engage with discussion in front of an entire class. Lectorials prevent specific groups from participating in course content, effectively cutting them from a large portion of the university education. For these students, removing the small class tutorial makes the course the equivalent of watching an educational YouTube video.
Graduate Teaching Assistants introduce content that engages students outside of the curriculum. Great essays tie together information from multiple sources, perspectives and further readings, resources most commonly delivered by tutors. Tutors acting as signposts for our academic path-finding leads to a more diverse range of thought amongst our student body.
Not only do Graduate Teaching Assistants help students excel, but they also help struggling students keep up. Academia can be extremely inaccessible, and teaching assistants help bridge the gap for students that aren’t able to keep up reading dense literature, are unfamiliar with academic culture, or come from otherwise disorienting backgrounds. Those that need help the most, often find tutors the most accessible sources of it.
Class Cuts
In 2021 there are numerous planned course cuts in the School of Social Sciences. The lack of options will result in people having increased stress and issues with academic career planning and degree completion. There is a lot of pressure for students to select the correct stage three papers if they wanted to go into postgraduate studies, or simply complete their major. A diverse range of papers empowers students to take agency in their education, allowing them to follow their passions and enjoy their university experience.
The cutting of available classes not only limits students potential within their academic futures, but it also restricts their ability to conduct research and engage in the academic community of Auckland. Access to academics is not only useful for papers and majors but also enable cross-department collaboration in research and programmes such as the Arts Scholars. The ability for students to access academics for knowledge, advice and assistance in research is severely limited when the university cuts the jobs of experts.
These value additions provided by experts are a part of the university experience, and cutting them certainly cuts the proposed value of The University of Auckland to students.
It is clear from our experience in lockdown that the value of face-to-face engagement cannot be understated and it is common knowledge the value of smaller class sizes. It is frustrating to see that for the cohort of social science students that have had to deal with issues of white supremacy, multiple lockdowns, and social isolation now also have to deal with navigating academia with less individual support.
Thank you for taking the time to hear our concerns, we hope adding our voices to this issue helps assist in any way possible with the upcoming changes.
