I quite agree. Here's a source for news and engagement that has contact information to take action and is untainted by sectarianism:
Tell University of Western Sydney They are Dopes for Planning to Dump Steve Keen http://www.nakedcapitalism.com/2012/11/tell-university-of-western-sydney-they-are-dopes-for-planning-to-dump-steve-keen.html Here's another one: University Of Western Sydney: Increase, don't cut, the unique UWS economics department! http://www.change.org/petitions/university-of-western-sydney-increase-don-t-cut-the-unique-uws-economics-department On Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 3:52 PM, Steve Diamond <[email protected]> wrote: > Let's not lose the forest for the trees. We should be supportive of Keen > whatever the source of the news. > > > On Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 5:09 AM, Robert Naiman > <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> >> Isn't this an example of sectarianism? >> >> [...] >> "The trade unions covering Australian universities, the Community and >> Public Sector Union (CPSU) and the National Tertiary Education Union >> (NTEU), have enforced the Labor government’s pro-business assault since >> it took office in 2007." >> [...] >> "While the NTEU claims to oppose the UWS cuts, and Keen’s victimisation" >> [...] >> "Defeating the cuts at UWS, and other universities, will require the >> development of an independent and unified movement, ***in direct >> opposition >> to the CPSU and NTEU***, of staff and students." >> [...] >> >> If you were an average member of one of these trade unions, how would you >> be likely to see a "socialist" call for ***direct opposition*** to your >> trade union? Isn't this an example of Trotskyist sectarianism? >> >> >> On Tue, Jan 29, 2013 at 7:49 AM, Louis Proyect <[email protected]> wrote: >>> >>> http://wsws.org/en/articles/2013/01/29/keen-j29.html >>> University of Western Sydney victimises Professor Steve Keen >>> By Mark Church >>> 29 January 2013 >>> >>> The University of Western Sydney has laid “serious misconduct” charges >>> against economics professor Steve Keen, a well-known academic, who is >>> regularly interviewed on radio and television, as a means of >>> intimidating staff and student opponents of its sweeping course closures >>> and retrenchments. >>> >>> Late last year, after classes had ended for the term, and just as >>> students were preparing for exams, UWS management began to reveal, in >>> piecemeal fashion, closures of courses, as well as more than 50 academic >>> redundancies. The economics degree is being scrapped, together with >>> courses in Arabic, Italian and Spanish languages, writing, performance >>> and animation. >>> >>> Through cuts to departmental budgets, UWS is also eliminating academic >>> jobs via retirements, resignations and unfilled vacancies. In law, for >>> example, 12 positions will be empty, out of about 40. Many casual >>> lecturers will lose their jobs or have their hours slashed, and the >>> teaching workloads of those who remain are being increased substantially. >>> >>> This year, students will face larger classes, less face-to-face learning >>> and seriously reduced course options. The cuts come on top of a decision >>> to close the Student Learning Unit, which assists the university’s many >>> students from working class, low-income and non-English speaking >>> backgrounds. >>> >>> Professor Keen, in an attempt to alert his students to the cuts, posted >>> a notice on the Behavioural Finance web site, informing them that he >>> would give them extra time to submit assignments, and would not fail any >>> of them in their exams, since UWS would not be offering the subject >>> again. >>> >>> University management immediately instituted disciplinary action against >>> the high profile professor, and cut off his capacity to communicate with >>> his students. Soon after, its response escalated to laying “serious >>> misconduct” charges, which are usually reserved for offences such as >>> sexual assault or corruption, and can lead to dismissal. In addition, he >>> was ordered to keep the matter confidential and to refrain from >>> contacting students. >>> >>> UWS has pursued the case, despite the fact that Keen last month applied >>> for a voluntary redundancy. It has now instituted proceedings in the New >>> South Wales Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC), accusing >>> him of “corrupting” academic standards. These are unmistakeable signals >>> that UWS management has decided to use Keen’s case to send a threatening >>> message to all staff and students regarding any opposition to course >>> closures and job cuts. >>> >>> By choosing to move against an internationally-known academic, the >>> university is seeking to establish a precedent that can be used against >>> others. Moreover, other universities will be watching closely, with a >>> view to carrying out similar measures to silence opposition to the wave >>> of closures and redundancies sweeping tertiary education. In the past 18 >>> months alone, cuts have been implemented at Sydney, Macquarie, NSW, >>> Bond, Victoria and La Trobe universities, as well as the Australian >>> National University. >>> >>> Under Labor Prime Minister Julia Gillard’s “education revolution”, total >>> tertiary enrolments have been increased, particularly in >>> business-related courses, but real funding per student has dropped, >>> placing intense pressure on already chronically-underfunded public >>> universities. Institutions have been compelled to undercut each other to >>> secure enrolments, especially in courses that attract the highest >>> commercial demand, because their funding now depends on the number of >>> students they enrol. Any fall-off in enrolments in less lucrative areas, >>> such as humanities and languages, is being met by the shut down of >>> entire departments. >>> >>> At UWS, management has even resorted to trying to boost enrolments by >>> providing all new students with an Apple iPad, supposedly to encourage >>> on-line learning, and offering existing students $50 to re-enrol, >>> ostensibly to help defray the cost of books. >>> >>> While it trumpets the fact that overall tertiary enrolments are >>> increasing, the government’s underlying agenda is the restructuring of >>> education to satisfy the demands of the corporate elite for specific >>> business-oriented courses, lower levels of public financing and more >>> compliant graduates. >>> >>> The trade unions covering Australian universities, the Community and >>> Public Sector Union (CPSU) and the National Tertiary Education Union >>> (NTEU), have enforced the Labor government’s pro-business assault since >>> it took office in 2007. Having backed Labor’s election, claiming it >>> would inaugurate a new era for higher education, the unions have >>> suppressed the resistance of university employees to the resulting >>> casualisation, cost-cutting and undermining of conditions. >>> Union-sponsored enterprise agreements have given universities greater >>> “flexibility” to erode full-time employment. Today, by the NTEU’s own >>> estimate, of the 200,000 employees of public universities, only 68,000 >>> have continuing employment, while 45,000 are on fixed-term contracts, >>> and 86,000 are “regular casuals”. >>> >>> While the NTEU claims to oppose the UWS cuts, and Keen’s victimisation, >>> it has tried to keep staff and students in the dark and isolate >>> departments from each other. At the same time it is appealing to >>> management to negotiate, and to utilise the union’s services to achieve >>> its required savings. >>> >>> The union’s slogan has become: “Let us be part of the solution.” Union >>> members in individual schools have been urged to become involved in >>> “working groups” to propose ways to minimise the damage caused by the >>> cuts. In a November 28 branch newsletter, the NTEU listed 11 departments >>> and schools where cuts had been announced, and bragged that its “working >>> groups” were working to reduce the impact, including by suggesting >>> alternative cost-cutting measures. >>> >>> The newsletter declared: “We all want to be part of a productive, open >>> dialogue that genuinely explores how we can achieve change that meets >>> the shared objectives of staff, students and the community.” In other >>> words, the union has become the open instrument of both the Labor >>> government and UWS management for imposing the cuts. >>> >>> At the same time, the NTEU has sought to divert attention from the >>> Gillard government’s role by blaming the cuts on the university’s >>> “mismanagement”. The NTEU’s efforts have been aided and abetted by the >>> Greens, who have propped up the minority Gillard government since 2010. >>> Senator Lee Rhiannon last year moved a Senate motion criticising UWS >>> management, while presenting the cuts as a supposedly unintended >>> consequence of Labor’s demand-driven funding regime. >>> >>> The pseudo “left” groups have lined up behind this diversion. In an >>> article on the UWS cuts, the Socialist Alliance’s Green Left Weekly >>> failed to even mention the Labor government. Instead, it promoted the >>> NTEU’s response and claimed that the cuts resulted from a misallocation >>> of resources by UWS, not a “funding problem”. >>> >>> Defeating the cuts at UWS, and other universities, will require the >>> development of an independent and unified movement, in direct opposition >>> to the CPSU and NTEU, of staff and students. Such a movement must launch >>> a political struggle, across all tertiary institutions, and fight for >>> support among all those teachers, parents, students and workers who >>> oppose the Labor government’s offensive against public education. This >>> requires a socialist perspective, aimed at the complete reorganisation >>> of economic and social life for the benefit of all, not just the wealthy >>> elite, including the provision of free, high-quality education, at every >>> level, as a basic social right for young people. >>> >>> The author also recommends: >>> >>> Australia: Students and staff protest University of Western Sydney cuts >>> [22 November 2012] >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> pen-l mailing list >>> [email protected] >>> https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l >> >> >> >> >> -- >> Robert Naiman >> Policy Director >> Just Foreign Policy >> www.justforeignpolicy.org >> [email protected] >> >> _______________________________________________ >> pen-l mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l >> > > > > -- > Stephen Diamond > Associate Professor of Law > Santa Clara University School of Law > Office: (408) 554-4813 > Fax: (408) 868-9173 > > _______________________________________________ > pen-l mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l > -- Robert Naiman Policy Director Just Foreign Policy www.justforeignpolicy.org [email protected] _______________________________________________ pen-l mailing list [email protected] https://lists.csuchico.edu/mailman/listinfo/pen-l
