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University Council: A Response from Staff and Student Representatives

University Council is the governing body of Monash University. Its responsibilities include deciding where the University spends its money, appointing the Vice-Chancellor and monitoring their performance, deciding the overall direction of and approving long-term plans for the University, as well as overseeing and monitoring the academic activities of the University.

On February 7, democratically elected students and staff from the Monash community across the globe signed the following letter in support of having democratically elected student and staff positions on University Council:

We, the undersigned elected representatives of a range of student and staff organisations, welcome the Chancellor’s recognition that Monash University is a community-focused organisation, and that University Council is keenly aware of the importance of ensuring that staff and students have a voice in the governance of the University. We also welcome the decision to increase the size of Council to 15 members and to include one student and one staff member.
Our remaining concern is the process by which the student and staff members are selected. While it seems a small obstacle, there is a great difference between ‘appointment’ and ‘election’ when selecting members, and it is concerning that at Monash, traditional democratic principles have so far been completely ignored. Other universities have found democratic solutions to the Victorian Parliament’s new legislation which mandated that staff and students no longer have elected places on Council.

Deakin University Council for example agreed unanimously in its meeting in December to appoint democratically-elected student and staff representatives.

Similarly, University of Melbourne Council has retained all five of its elected representatives, three staff and two students, reclassifying them as ‘Council Fellows’ rather than Council members. Standing Resolution of Council 1.1.9 has further details.

Just as we support democracy in our local, state and federal governments, in our primary and high schools through School Councils and in community organisations in general through having boards of governance elected by members, we believe democracy is essential in governance at Monash.

Importantly, the election process would help to ensure that the student and staff members of University Council are those who have the support of their respective staff and student communities and whom they trust will work in their best interests to ensure a harmonious workplace, an improved learning environment and in turn a better university. The trust and goodwill that is fostered between the Council and the university community by the election process, and the commitment to transparency, consultation and accountability that it shows, is critical if the Council is to continue to be relevant to and have the support of the staff and students it seeks to serve.

We believe that one of the most important skills that any staff or student member can bring to the Council is their ability to be able to consult with their constituencies and communicate to Council the viewpoints of the broader staff and student bodies, ensuring that the Council’s decisions are well-informed and relevant to the needs of the university community. The University of Melbourne Council, clearly aware of this, has articulated it particularly well in Standing Resolution 1.1.4.

A meeting between the Chancellor, Council Membership Committee and democratically-elected staff and student representatives has been proposed. We look forward to reporting to you the outcomes of the meeting.

The signatories below have all been democratically elected and hold the mandate of their respective constituencies.

Warm regards,

Carol Williams  [Elected University Council academic staff representative]

Jeffrey Bender [Elected University Council professional staff representative]

Ali Majokah [Elected University Council student representative]

Artemis Niaros [Student representative (undergraduate) Academic Board]

Ben Knight  [Student representative (undergraduate) Academic Board]

Nicholas Kelly [Student representative (postgraduate) Academic Board]

Phil Andrews [President, National Tertiary Education Union, Monash branch],

Freya Logan [President, Monash Student Association (Clayton)]

John Murphy [President, Monash University Student Union Caulfield]

Catherine Altson [Acting President, Monash University Student Union Peninsula]

Ben Rogers [Monash University Gippsland Student Union]

Hayden Devanny [President, Monash Union of Berwick Students]

Joanne Cheah [President, Monash Parkville Students Association]

Melvin Shawn D’Silva [President, Monash University Student Association (Malaysia)]

Raphael Mbonimpa [President, Monash University South Africa Student Association]

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