Transitional Blogging

I didn't know that the University of Melbourne has transitional bloggers. They've got entries on the demotion of Paul Mees as well as the study cycle. There is a first year site as well as a second year + site.

There's also an interesting, if a little bit dated, post about Farrago. The author, who distances himself from the Liberal Party by claiming to be a Labor voter, says that it is "as though a bunch of hippies have been trying to brainwash me with the ‘anti-Glyn Davis’ bible." I have the suspicion that his position is not uncommon and he clearly isn't writing from an official perspective, since he doesn't make the point that the 'Arts cuts' are related to a structural deficit in the Faculty and not any recommendations from the Curriculum Review or Melbourne Model implementation. It is certainly a position that is worth taking into account and he is absolutely correct that the Faculty of Arts is not the only one in the University.

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Don't think

This video, via Educated Nation, is thoroughly amusing.
"Don't think about thinking, it's not on the test."

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Employment stats

Educated Nation has a post up about employment opportunities for college [university] graduates in the US. According to the report, graduates have higher salaries, less unemployment and their salaries are rising faster than workers who do not have degrees.

Some of the top ranking jobs in terms of pay are Physicians and Surgeons, Chief Executives, Dentists, Airline Pilots/copilots/flight engineers and air traffic controllers.

All of those occupations earn a median salary of over $100,000 per annum.

Some art and writing occupations pay less than half as much. For example, Editors have a median salary of $43,890 and 84% have bachelor's degrees or higher. For writers and authors, it is $44,350 with 83% graduates.

The continuing privileging of medical, technological and high-level managers over the humanities is probably one of the factors behind the current poor state of the humanities in universities. Universities, after all, reflect the societies in which they are situated. Today at the University of Melbourne, there was a small protest of perhaps 15 students sitting down and talking about the cuts to the Faculty of Arts. The administration building was locked down, with at least one security guard at the doorway, allowing approved people to enter and leave, another three security guards on the stairway and balcony and another 5 security guards on the ground. The protester:security guard ratio is quickly approaching 1:1. This shows that either the protesters do not have popular support or that having a second action within about a week of the first is not a good idea.

But in other news, the latest Honi Soit features stories on the continuing problems with the Academic Appeals changes as well as the results of the elections for Union Board. Big surprise, the Liberal finished last and was therefore the only one not elected. Voter turnout was low, at only 2190 (33 informal).

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A Week of Student Politics

The Australian reports on responses to the Arts cuts from student and staff organisations: "ABOUT 50 Melbourne University students protesting against academic staff cuts at the arts faculty yesterday [May 12] invaded a building in an attempt to disrupt a university council meeting, trying at one stage to break through security guards blocking a liftwell." First-hand reports tell that rally sat down outside the council chamber during the meeting and held their own, boring the security guards with their commitment to the procedures of consensus decision making.

The latest Honi Soit also tells of some [from a distance] rather amusing election shenanigans. There are now only 6 candidates in the running for Union Board. The Liberal candidate is behaving erratically, after trying to hide her endorsement by the Liberals. As Honi wonders, "Maybe
even the Liberals know that being a Liberal is electoral poison?" A UNSW candidate has also been caught ripping off the policy statement of a USyd candidate on Facebook.

On a non-amusing side of things, one USyd candidate has received death threats.

Which goes to show how nasty student factional politics can get. Student political factions also manage to translate well into federal political factions. The Liberals are whacky. Labor is split between left and right. Independents run with varying success and Socialist Alternative manages to get something occasionally. There is a degree of enmity between all of these factions that can create a whole lot of unpleasantness. Shameless maneouvring and politicking can also do damage within factions.

It's quite a lot to consider and it is good to see a student newspaper covering their elections, which are going to do a lot to determine what campus life is like - who edits the newspaper, the number and nature of protests and the overall political tone.

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News

The University of Sydney land-grab shuts down a mental health institution Rozelle Hospital, reports Honi Soit.

The University of Manchester Vice-Chancellor Alan Gilbert (former University of Melbourne VC) has responded to criticism in Student Direct. The Reclaim the Uni pressure group has staged protests, including an occupation and disrupting a meeting.

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Women in Science

Yale Daily News has an UpClose on Women in the Sciences. They include comments from several different sources, including Hannah Brueckner, director of undergraduate studies in sociology professor and women’s faculty forum steering committee co-chair. “If you’re in the minority, like women are in the sciences, you get talked about like a woman,” she said. “Your successes or slight mistakes are identified with your gender rather than with you as an individual.”

Sexism means that competent female scientists drop out before they can fulfill their potential, which is a great loss to the sciences.

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