Email from Nick Saunders (3 Viewers)

[Justine2408]

20% less staff

I have a friend who works at the Uni and I wouldn't swap with her for anything - their area is already down about 4 staff members on what they had about 2 years ago, and I can't imagine what the Uni will be like with 450 less staff .... Service quality will be seriously down .... can't see how it can work!

 

[gr8cat]

Well sorry guys, how about a little realism? People are saying that they can't imagine the University with a few hundred less people working for it, but it's also hard to imagine the University if it's constantly making losses of over $20 million. There will be job losses, there will be cuts. Obviously there are some places where cuts will be more logical (The massive plethora of gardeners at Newcastle comes to mind, perhaps they can sack some of those bloody spiders while they're at it).

It's not just one guy being an arsehole for the sake of it, and it's not like the University can get out of the red without firing people or reducing subject choices. It's spending beyond it's means and it'll have to cut down, much like the student unions when the beautiful VSU comes to fruition.

 

[em_516]

i heard that although 450 are going to be cut, 300 are willing to leave..so it's not SO bad (sorta..)

 

[um..]

i go to uni in newcastle too

 

[mrbassman]

if you listen to the propaganda they should just cut 30 exec level positions then the job is done

 

[great_gregory]

Have they said how exactly they got into so much debt? You'd think the accountants would notice the extra or unbudgeted spending of 20 or 30 million dollars, wouldn't you?

 

[Craig]

Have they said how exactly they got into so much debt? You'd think the accountants would notice the extra or unbudgeted spending of 20 or 30 million dollars, wouldn't you?

There are so many theories on that. The one that made the most sense to me was that the uni was unable to attain research grants, which they were relying on getting. There’s a belief that many of the research topics the uni was getting into didn’t really appeal to the government, private enterprise etc and as a result they didn’t get the grant. This meant they spent a shitload of money into feasibility studies etc, just to find that what they were researching was stupid and couldn’t get the grant. This occurred heaps of times and as a result everything is stuffed.

 

[hipsta_jess]

One of my friends is really good mates with his honours supervisor, and he was saying that the supervisor told him (in confidence, lol) that the last VC wasted 10-15 mil.

 

[Justine2408]

The debt

The reason for the debt? I think it has a name ... Roger Holmes -the last VC! Had no idea how to manage and didn't want to listen to those who were trying to tell him that there were problems! THere was a restructure a few years ago and instead of saving, it put us into more serious debt! Its OK though ... he got a massive payout and bonus when he left!

 

[um..]

my favourite parts of the uni are the big bus stop and the brennan room

 

[jumb]

my favourite parts of the uni are the big bus stop and the brennan room

I like the big bus stop. I always walk past dangling my keys, just to tease the public transport users.

 

[um..]

im one of them. i get to sit at the bus stop and socialise with beautiful girls while you drive home in your pollution-coffin on wheels to your lonely, lonely bed.

 

[jumb]

i get to sit at the bus stop and socialise with beautiful girls

I have trouble believing that, tiger. Beautiful girls don't need to catch a bus.

 

[Emily.]

im one of them. i get to sit at the bus stop and socialise with beautiful girls while you drive home in your pollution-coffin on wheels to your lonely, lonely bed.

hahahahah pollution coffin

well buses have dirtier emissions than cars..

 

[angelduck]

but take more ppl

 

[Emily.]

so what?? stop spamming!! youve like posted in every thread

 

[em_516]

haha so have you emily

 

[winicat]

so what?? stop spamming!! youve like posted in every thread

god, i haven't heard anything so .. stupid .. in a long time -- someone should practice what she preaches

i'm all for the free buses in town .. means i can get from home (first stop) to anywhere in CBD without having to pay .. so fun lol

also: one of my lecturers said something about them getting, like, 6 months off every 3 years and 12 off every 6 or something and they get paid to go research or be residents places. i'm talking about fine art type peoples here ... i dunno if those are the right numbers, but that's what she reckoned was wrong with the debt.

 

[jumb]

Researching fine arts? What do they do, just stare at pictures all day?

 

[mrbassman]

per person buses are more efficient than cars