Industrial relations nightmare at ANU
The once proud School of Politics and International Relatpatagonia fleece clearanceions at the Australian National University has descended into an industrial relations nightmare.
Staff and students have reported a toxic culture of bullying and high levels of dysfunction. Staff have been forced to accept unprecedented workloads and an exodus of some of the school s most accomplished and esteemed academics has resulted. Women in particular feel targeted within a school where embapatagonia adze guiderrassingly few hold senior positions and female academics undertake the bulk of the teaching workload.
Meanwhile, an investigation by The Canberra Times has found that at least seven formal complaints have been laid against senior members of staff and two Comcare cases have been awarded to two acadepatagonia better sweater 10mics who suffered psychological damage during their time at the school at the hands of one senior manager.
When asked to patagonia better sweater coat amazoncomment on the workplace crisis within the school, a spokeswoman for vice chancellor Ian Young said the university was investigating a range of complex staffing and management issues , but could not comment further, citing privacy issues and the fact investigations were ongoing.
Professor Young knows first hand of the discontent within the school, having spoken with some of the affected staff members directly in recent months.
The complaints have largely centred around vulgar language and abuse and the way in which staff have been pressured to take on additional workloads in some cases outside their areas of expertise, in conflict with their research responsibilities and at odds with the enterprise agreement.
So serious was the situation that a senior coupatagonia better sweater 13nsellor requested eight members of staff meet in the presence patagonia better sweater 11of the human resources manager earlier this year tdiscount patagonia nano puff jacketo discuss the spate of complaints.
No formal action has as yet been taken by the school to address these concerns directly.
Underlying tensions have been exacerbated by budget cuts and staff workload increases as the school has been forced to share in $1.4 million worth of budget cuts within the College of Arts and Social Sciences.
Long considered one of the jewels in the ANU s crown with a proven track record in interpatagonia sun gloves reviewnational publications, citations and coveted research funding, the school has also endured an exodus of some of its most accomplished staff.
At least 11 academics have left in the past 12 months six relocated to other universities, two relocated to other areas within the ANU and three retired or taken early retirement.
Meanwhile, 10 courses in the Political Science and International Relations majors have been disestablished and the school has undergone a systematic cultural change from the qualitative Australian approach to a more American quantitative approach.
The first public indication of the problems mounting within the school occurred last year when students protested against an attempt by the College of Social Sciences to phase out small tutorials in favour of large interactive workshops and forums.
The move was to achieve cost cutting but student outrage forced a formal review by deputpatagonia better sweater 1y vice chancellor Marnie Hughes Warringfind patagonia jackets outlet sale store waiting for youton, with management opting to trial forums among a smaller number of courses.
Meanwhile, the staff shortage has meant sessional instructors some without conferred PhDs have been brought in to teach politics and international relations courses while management undertakes a recruitment drive.
According to an internal draft business plan for the school for 2014 16 written by acting head of school Professor Ian McAllister while Professor Jeffery Karp is on extended sick leave the school faces several challenges .
Noting the school s proud history of research and international citations, Professor McAllister conceded there had been continuous turnover of staff in recent years .
There was urgent need to recruit staff at higher levels and recognition of a lack of women in senior positions.
A number of the bullying claims centre on women, the bulk of whom already carry the biggest teaching loads. Concerns have been raised by female staff that they have been further asked to increase their teaching workloads at the expense of their research output, while both male and female academics have endured direct criticism or career setbacks for seeking to balance their work with their family responsibilities.
Of 27 academic staff in place in March only 12 were women, and of the six most senior staff only one was female and this was only because her Centre for European Studies had been subsumed within the school.
The document noted that of the eight appointments made in the last 12 months, three were women, while a further two job offers were rejected by female academics.
The lack of gender diversity within the school has been a longstanding issue and was highlighted by a 2012 ANU report, Women s Advancement in Australian Political Science, which found the ANU had the second lowest proportion of female academics of all Group of Eight universities.
Women constitpatagonia better sweater 12uted just 21.7 per cent of political science academics at the ANU, compared with 47.3 per cent at the University of Melbourne, which topped the list.
The report found female academipatagonia everlong review 17cs in political science experienced a chilly working environment in which an adversarial, antagonistic and disrespectful culture prevailed.
The draft plan also noted more mechanical issues in staffing around the International Relations units, which needed to ensure students would be able to complete the requisite units for their degrees.
Major changes to the IR degree have been made since 2010, which have strengthened the degree, though imbalance across compulsory and core courses in the IR and politics (sic) needs to be re examined. To that ends a three year teaching plan is recommended to enable students to plan their courses well in advance and wipatagonia guide jacket yamahath certainty they can complete degree requirements.
The school also needed to do more to attract PhD students and make a concerted effort tpatagonia guide pants around your feeto retain honours and PhD students in light of less than a handful of enrolments this year and a reportedly high number of applications for transfers out of the school.
To compound its financial problems, the school has experienced a substantial reduction in its Higher Education Research Data Collection points, a government reporting requirement which collates research income and publications and is used as a measure to calculate future government and performance funding.
Of the more than 100 HERDC points earned by the school in 2012, more than 75 per cent were earned by staff who have now left. This suggests the school s rankings will plummet, particularly given newly recruited replacement staff are junior academics.
