Ross

By: willy*bach (Registered ) on 20-10-2007 00:12

Dear Ross 
 
It is so good that you are out there saying what must be said about the Howard government's erosion of the learning experience at university and how much harder it is now for people to even afford to attend. It seems that neo liberals are born with one eye and half a brain. If Labor are going to explore beyond their rhetoric about 'productivity' then I say bring it on. I still can't get Kevin Rudd to say that he would stop the closure of the QUT School of Humanities - and I just heard that USC is going through something similar. 
 
I had a conversation the other day with one of QUT's business oriented people in which I bemoaned the absence of collegiality, an intellectual life, seminars, talks, exchanges of ideas at Carseldine campus. The response was that if the School of Humanities was able to raise the funds by providing services to business (or some twaddle) we could have all those things. No wonder we are in this mess. 
 
I am also concerned that cosy relationships with industries are going to lead inevitably to compromising situations in which academic integrity will go out the window. QUT has such a relationship with the military and with companies that are involved in selling weapons systems to governments. 
 
The next thing we'll have is a chair in nice safe uranium mining and plutonium disposal sponsored by BHP and Halliburton. 
 
You know all this - these comments are for others to mull over. I just hope you will be there in Canberra to make a difference after we have scraped the grime off the footpath - and sent the Howard thugs out of public life. 
 
Regards 
Willy Bach

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