It would be “improper governance” to have democratically elected student and staff representatives on the Monash University Council. No statement better encapsulates the mentality of Monash’s administration and the current democratic deficit than this statement by Dr Alan Finkel, University Chancellor.
Take another look at it. We can’t have democracy because we need governance. Who has decided? Alan has decided. Why has Alan decided? Because that is what Alan does; he governs. The sharp distinction between democracy and governance brings into focus precisely what contemporary forms of governance represent. There is a large difference between these two different mindsets that corresponds to two very different styles of organisation.
Governance is about control. To govern is to engage in a calculated means of directing how others behave and act. Governors adopt a variety of techniques and strategies of social control. One must be able to manage institutional structures, the distribution of goods and benefits, systems of knowledge, and flows of information.
To govern is to disempower a group of people by making decisions on their behalf that structure the field of possibilities for them so that their capacity to make meaningful choices in their lives is limited. It is also about rendering the target of power “governable” – passive, docile, and unlikely or unable to resist. This is an essential aspect of good governance.
On the other hand, we have democracy. Firstly, democracy entails the interruption of any natural claim to govern through the assertion of the radical principle of equality. Because we are all equal, nobody has a greater right to direct and control my life than me. In making decisions that will affect large numbers of people, all voices should be heard.
Democracy prevents people from abusing power by ensuring that those who are affected by decisions have a say in how those decisions are made. Democracy taken in this sense is empowering, liberating and works toward the free and equal flourishing of a collective.
It is important to remember that democracy is not just practiced at the ballot box every three years — it’s a fundamental principle of how the basic institutions of our society should function. Democracy is necessary everywhere: in the state, in the workplace and at universities.
The flow-on effects of this form of democracy are enormous: individuals develop moral and intellectual capacities, communities benefit from greater social capital, and studies have found that democratic bodies generally produce better outcomes in decision-making. Democracy also ensures that people’s actions can be autonomous and self-directed rather than manipulated and controlled by elites.
Taking away a group’s power of decision-making and reducing their access to information about how decisions are being made has always been a first step towards more oppressive and unjust actions. If we look at the trend across Australian universities it’s evident that large cuts in courses and a defunding of student services is on the horizon. The Monash administration want to eliminate student and staff representation on Council to reduce awareness of these changes and manage dissent.
Students have already been transformed from active participants in university life to passive consumers of the Monash product. We are moving towards a world in which we will soon be the faceless “governed,” given no reason why our voices ought to be considered (Dr Finkel quipped that Myer does not have a customer representative on its board, so why should Monash have a student representative on its Council. Why indeed!).
All of these transformations mirror a broader trend in neoliberal societies of increasing asymmetrical relationships of power and impositions of structures of governance at local, national and international levels.
So what would be the alternative? How could we organise our university to be more democratic?
The first step is greater student participation and involvement at universities. The administration gets away with its brazen disregard for student and staff voices because there has been a long track record of little to no resistance to their actions.
Without a strong grassroots movement, any form of democracy will eventually lead to governance. Think no further than the sad image of a tiny cluster of wannabe student politicians squabbling over access to the resources of the student association during student elections.
We need a new collective body to stand up and refuse the passive position that has been assigned to us. Social struggles are defined by a delicate balance of forces on the ground at any particular historical moment. Currently, students and staff are being outmaneuvered because they are divided and disorganised. A campaign of education to grow support against the current wave of cuts to Australian universities could galvanize opposition.
Next, we would need to challenge the power of the current administration. The strike and picket at the University of Sydney this semester is a good example. Staff and students are fighting restructuring of their university around performance management and a casualisation of the workforce. Collective action that hits the University where it hurts (such as at Open Days, in media campaigns, and through other tactics that tarnish the University’s precious global reputation) is a good starting point.
At the same time we must make the case for why a body such as the University Council should be composed of a majority of staff and students. Even a modest proposal of one-third students, one-third staff and one-third administration, would go a long way towards a more democratic university.
Such a change would be particularly important for staff so that they could have a greater say in how their workplace is organised. Democratic principles are extremely important in the workplace environment as it gives workers a feeling of empowerment and control over the conditions of their work. We have all experienced the alienation of being ordered around and forced to work in a way that is tedious, inefficient and mind-numbing.
Worker controlled workplaces make for happy and productive workers who enjoy what they do and take pleasure in a job well done. Think of the great environment created at the Monash Wholefoods restaurant, which is a strong example of the benefits of collective organising and student run institutions. If only the same principles of direct democratic control over the organisation could be applied to the Monash Council.
As a side note, I wonder whether such a democratically elected body would choose to reimburse the Vice-Chancellor $1.1 million dollars as an annual salary (over twice as much as the VC at Swinburne and thirteen times as much as a lecturer at Monash)? or if it would find that this money could be better spent on student services.
The decision of whether we have governance or democracy at Monash University is a practical question that will be decided by those involved in the struggle over the next decade or so. If you are a student or staff member at Monash University, you are involved. The choice is between a passive acceptance of less control over our universities or an active struggle for a more democratic form of education. I choose resistance.
