Follow-up to academic feminism

This week, I have made a momentous decision, somewhat forced by the inter-Faculty wrangles I referred to in my last post on feminism-in-academia.

As of Tuesday, I’m not a Master’s thesis candidate, although I have no intention of shelving my project to write a book on third-wave radical feminists in Aotearoa-New Zealand (that’s from 1990 – now-ish, for those who don’t recognise the terminology).

It’s been a long time coming, but I am now officially over dealing with the assortment of misogynists on the VUW Council who have been paring back the resources allocated to the School of Gender & Women’s Studies over the past 4 years.

First it was a discussion about removing the School from the Kate Edgar House, at 94 Fairlie Terrace, an old villa next to the Music School property – itself marked for demolition once the NZSM gets it’s new premises built on the Illot Green, next to the MFC, downtown. Oh, wait, the funding hasn’t come through for NZSM, has it?

But the VUW Council have already begun re-development on Fairlie Tce, having bowled 3 houses which belonged to the School of Education, whose staff were all peremptorily moved up to the Karori Campus in 2007 to make way for – a hostel for International Students!
Yes, a commercial venture based on ’slit-appartments’, which have been built and turned into instant ghettos in Auckland, replete with drug dealers and so on, in a copy of student accommodation popular in Hong Kong.

Funnily enough, they’re having trouble finding post-grad international students ready to put up with the extremely small flats created in the hope of securing a mix of under- and post-grads in the hostel. It’s mostly populated by German and American exchange students, with a smattering of Korean and Chinese first-years.
Catering facilities are minimal, and a whole floor is dedicated to an open-air drying arena for laundry, surrounded by toughened glass plates to stop anyone blowing away in a stiff northerly..

In 2008, the results of a change proposal were to reduce the School of Education staff at Karori from 150 to 100, a net loss of 33% of staff across all categories. Staff members were approached by the AUS, the staff union on VUW campuses, but were told by the Dean of Education faculty Dr Dougald Scott, as well as by other senior staff, that speaking to the union would place them automatically on the ‘to be fired’ list.
Many staff did speak to AUS rep Michael Gilchrist, but were frightened of reprisals from both the external HR firm hired to do the redundancies, and the permanent senior staff.
There was ultimately no strong collective protest from the School of Education staff, and the job-losses went ahead as planned by the VCs on Kelburn campus.

Along the way, School of G&WS lost our Fairlie Tce rooms and ancilliary staff, as well as 4 of the 8 undergrad papers, and no guarantee from the VUW Council that undergrad majors currently in train would be able to complete.

Post-grads were given very short notice at the start of that academic year to pack up all their desks and resources, for removal to Karori campus. Space for study was not allocated immediately; PhD students who’d allowed all their work to be boxed up waited weeks, finally allocated a post-WW2 prefab, with no insulation or heaters, in which their desks and research were summarily unpacked by Faculty staff (campus care) without any discussion taking place directly with the post-grad’s involved. The disruption to research was undertaken with no apology or suggestion of compensation.

Some students opted at that stage to remove all their work from the university property, and work from home, or the office of an understanding employer.
Some of us petitioned other services on campus, receiving help from PGSA and Disability Services to be able to remain on Kelburn Campus with our work intact.
Eventually, near the end of 2008 second semester, a small house in Campbell St was procured for the G&WS post-grads – a two-storey property which was partially inaccessible to at least one of the PhD students, and due to students chosing to work off-campus, was much smaller than the amount of space needed to accommodate all of the currently enrolled post-grads.

Moving on to 2009, the resources continued to be straightened. Dr Leslie Hall was put on a one-year-rolling contract, with Faculty and Academic Board members commenting that ‘falling roll numbers meant that they could not guarantee G&WS papers continuance unless enrolments increased’. This was after a fight at the Academic Board in late December 2008 to keep the undergrad papers at the same level as 2008 (a reduction from 8 to 4 papers, remember?), which meant that the papers did not go onto the online enrolment website until about 6-8 weeks after the massive “Get online and enrol early” PR campaign had kicked off – creating a self-fulfilling prophecy that G&WS would attract few enrolments.

Late in 2009, as the School was ready to celebrate the graduation of one of our PhD candidates, the Academic Board again threatened not to list G&WS papers, citing ‘low enrolments in 2009′, and once more Dr Hall had a huge battle to keep her teaching contract, and to keep the undergrad papers on the prospectus. In early December, Dr Alison Laurie resigned from teaching, although she committed to continuing supervison of the currently enrolled post-grad’s for the duration.

Then the 2010 VUW Calendar was published, with no reference to the School of Gender & Women’s Studies under Faculty of Education, although Alison is still listed in the Faculty staff (but not Lesley…) There are no undergrad papers listed in the Calendar.
A perusal of the 2010 School of Education undergrad prospectus does show 4 papers, with Dr Laurie listed as teaching one, and the others ‘tbc’ – telegraphing to students, who can’t find these papers listed on the website, that the Faculty is not committed to continuing teaching Gend papers at this level.
Oh, and the Calendar, under MA statutes, mentions that there will be no more MA enrolments in G&WS from 2010. Gee thanks for telling me that my thesis enrolment cannot be continued, folks. When I enrolled in mid-2009….

I have had administrative support from FHSS on Kelburn campus frequently during 2009, as the Fac Ed office in Kelburn is not capable of offering full support to post-grad students, and it appears that FHSS (under whose broad mantle Fac Ed operates) has not been told that the lid is sinking on G&WS enrolements.
It also appears that Fac Ed admin are incapable of interrogating the Kelburn Registry database for information (as every other Faculty does), since they told me in late November 2009 that ‘they had no communication with me, and did not know I was enrolled’ – 6 months after Registry produced my course confirmation and fees demands, which my student loan duly paid. (WINZ being perfectly capable of interrogating the database & finding my enrolment and course confirmation …)

As I went through the process of filing my 6-month research report I realised with a sinking heart that most of the paperwork I’d done so far, applying for Ethics Consents, grants and scholarships, had been negated by the complete refusal of Fac Ed to acknowledge that I was actually enrolled for an MA thesis.
Having wasted six months of my research time, they then went on to try to patronise and bully me about the missing 6-month report. I quoted back the sentence they’d e-mailed me about their failure to find me on the student database, and suggested that their incompetence was not my
problem, and they would get the report when I had time to fill it out properly.

Along the way, I found a copy of the Minimum Resources Agreement (MRA), negotiated by PGSA and in force when I enrolled in mid-2009. It’s here on the PGSA webite, if you’re interested in the details.

Suffice to say that the Faculty had not met a skerrick of the MRA for the majority of students doing PhD’s through G&WS, and for none of the MA thesis researchers.

At this stage, I’m going to apply to have my tuition fees refunded, on the grounds of failure to provide the conditions of research set out in the PGSA agreement; and I may attempt to get compensation for the waste of my time and resources during the time leading up to my first 6-month report, when Fac Ed ‘had no record of my enrolment’ and thus denied my existence to any funding agencies to whom I had applied. There is also a group of concerned post-grad students who are meeting on-campus irregularly (as our conflicting time resources allow), to discuss grievances collated by one of our number.

This article is my first sally in direct action against the misogynist behaviour of the VUW Council, VC’s, Deans of FHSS & Education, and I hope it will be the beginning of another protest campaign to keep Gender and Women’s Studies alive on VUW’s campus, where our tradition of Women’s Studies courses goes back to papers taught by Phillida Bunkle and Jackie Matthews in the mid-80’s, when 20KP was the location of the Women’s Studies office. (Now PGSA office and study resource rooms.)

Sea Shepherd activists protest in Wellington today

Sea shepherd activists and supporters gathered outside the Majestic Centre in Willis St, Wellington from 11.30am to 2pm, to protest the actions of the Japanese whaling fleet in the antartic ocean yesterday.

Wellington Sea Shepherd co-ordinator Lisa Baines used a loud-hailer to speak to passersby about the ramming and eventual destruction of the Ady Gil, and to ask for donations and signatures for the petition which she planned to present to the Japanese Ambassador.

Around 2pm, Security guards escorted Lisa and a companion activist into the building, where TV1 camera crews followed them into the Embassy offices. The Ambassador would not speak with Lisa, but sent an assistant to accept the signed petition sheets.

Background here:

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1001/S00097.htm

and

http://seashepherd.org/nz

media responses:
http://www.3news.co.nz/Sea-Shepherd-captain-devastated-by-sinking/tabid/209/articleID/136574/Default.aspx

http://tvnz.co.nz/politics-news/government-comments-upset-sea-shepherd-3326177

Quick rant about Gender & Women’s Studies School

Most of you know I’m currently an academic feminist.

If it had been up to the VUW Academic Board, this would not be so.
At long last, Dr Lesley Hall has been confirmed in her position for another year, and the undergraduate papers in the School of Gender & Women’s Studies (GWS) will remain.

Great news, I hear you say.
Well, yes, but not for the mass of undergraduates who have been trying to enrol in papers that have not shown on the VUW enrolement website, nor have they been confirmed in any on or offline prospectuses so far.

It is a travesty of education policy to arbitrarily choose from one academic year to next whether courses will be continued, as the VUW Council have been wont to do with GWS over the past few enrolement seasons.
“Oh noes, we have falling enrolements, we must cut courses”, they say, when their late approval of courses has contributed to uncertainty about course provision – along with the mega-PR campaign encouraging undergrad students to enrol early online, where the courses don’t show.

So, if you, or anyone you know, had intended to take a Gend paper this coming academic year, jump back on the website and dump that Accy or Eng paper you chose instead, and create a huge paper trail of grumpy feminist students who want their courses back!

Rant over.

Tonite, and tomorrow afternoon, some students are graduating with majors in GWS, including (soon to be) Dr Alison Hopkins.
I shall be joining the other post-grad students in progress to congratulate Alison and the others, at our School pre-grad morning tea, then joining the procession in Lambton Quay as a ’sidewalk photographer’ to record the achievements of those of my peers who have finished theses despite the distinctly unwelcome air we have studied in, as Fac Ed and FHSS fight over the living, breathing bodies of our postgrad students.
But I’ll save the ongoings of that argument for another post!

Here’s something pretty from back in 2008, when we first started complaining about the cuts to facilities for GWS.

2008 protest poster

Vacancy: Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies, Otago

I’m passing this around, in case any greenies are so inclined & qualified.

Lecturer in Peace and Conflict Studies (Confirmation Path)
National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies

Applicants should possess a PhD in Peace and Conflict Studies or a cognate discipline, and have an established or emerging track record of systematic research and publication. They should also have teaching experience at the tertiary level. Given that Peace and Conflict Studies is a new programme, candidates should be able to demonstrate skills in academic curriculum development as well.

The successful candidate:

* Will have a research background in peace and conflict studies with a significant number of peer reviewed publications. Some preference will be given to those with advanced knowledge in conflict analysis and resolution.

* Will contribute to the research environment by developing/contributing to local and international research groups, by attracting postgraduate students, and by competing successfully for research funding.

* Will be expected to teach two postgraduate courses per year in the area of Peace and Conflict Studies and to supervise 400-level Honours, Masters and PhD students.

* Will contribute to the administration and development of the Centre in particular, and the Division of Humanities and the University of Otago in general.

The position is available from 1 June 2010 and it is hoped that the successful applicant can commence duties as soon as possible around that time.

Specific enquiries may be directed to Professor Kevin P Clements, Director, National Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies,
Tel 03 479 4546, Fax 03 479 8084,
Email kevin.clements@otago.ac.nz

Applications quoting reference number A09/163 close on Friday 22 January 2010.

Job Description: You can download the Lecturer in Peace and Conflict
Studies (Confirmation Path) job description (12 KB in PDF format) at
vacancy/otago006243.pdf

Application Forms: Download the Application Form in PDF format at
vacancy/otago002583.pdf

or MS Word format at
vacancy/otago002584.doc

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO): Download the EEO Form in PDF
format at
vacancy/otago002585.pdf

or Rich Text Format (RTF) at
vacancy/otago002582.rtf

Prior to applying for any academic staff vacancy, applicants should also read:

* Application Information for Academic Staff at
application_academic.html

and
* Information for Applicants for Academic Posts and Conditions of Appointment at
ConditionsofAppointment

Upcoming: Reclaim the Night returns to Welington

Wellington Reclaim the Night 2009

Reclaim the Night is an international event putting the issue of women’s safety from male violence on the agenda for this night and every day.
We march to demand our right to be free from the fear or reality of rape, of sexual harassment, of domestic violence, of stalking.

In Aotearoa/New Zealand
􀁹1 in 3 women will experience physical or sexual violence from a partner in their life
􀁹99% of sexual violence incidents reported to the Police are perpetrated by men
􀁹95% of them on women
􀁹A woman is killed in a domestic violence incident every 3 ½weeks
􀁹92% of protection orders are taken out by women
􀁹1 in 3 women report sexual harassment in the workplace

This year the Wellington Reclaim the Night march addresses:
“The culture of violence towards women”
and is focused around being safe in our city;
in our homes,
at work,
while out exercising or walking,
going clubbing or out for a drink with our friends

When: Friday the 27th of November, 6.00pm

Where:
Assemble at the front of the Wellington Railway Station for speakers including Labour’s Lynn Pillay on the changes to ACC for sexual violence survivors
Performance by the Real Hot Bitches (tbc)

Who: All self-defined women and their children

After party:
Ivy, Dixon Street from 8pm with performances from…
Edwardene Tanaki, Tyree Robertson
Mahinarangi Maika, Rachael Wright
Freya Eng, Palace This!
And others…

Let’s celebrate being safe in our city
Questions, comments?
www.reclaimthenight.blogspot.com
vuwsa.womens.group@gmail…com

Something for the Children

I’ve been a little busy lately, for one reason or another, and neither been attending many events, nor blogging about green stuff.

I’ll make amends with a quick description of an event I was invited to by the Wellington Activation Manager for the Global Poverty Project, Sarah Wood, which took place at the Banquet Hall of Parliament last night.

MP’s Jackie Blue (N) and Steve Chadwick (L) spoke, as the hosting MP’s and Chair and VC of the Parliamentary Committee to Effect Change on Women’s Issues, and welcomed the organisers of the Global Poverty Project to Wellington, and also to Aotearoa/New Zealand, as they begin the launch of their campaign here.
In Australia, it’s fronted by Hugh Jackman, no less, and has had endorsements from Bono and other celebrities, but you can look at the website here.
[http://www.globalpovertyproject.com] can’t get link to imbed.

In Wellington, we were treated to a very well-presented launch by Hugh Evans, a young man who first experienced the priviledge of his birthright when he was taken to the Phillipines by World Vision as a 14 year-old schoolboy. He realised then that most of the things he took for granted about his life (home, access to schooling, his parents’ jobs) were essentially an accident of birth – if he had been born at the same time, in another place, his life might have been like that of the teenagers he met, who survived by selling scavenged metals on the Burning Mountain rubbish dump that he visited.

The presentation is travelling around New Zealand, visiting the major cities.
It’s back here in Wellington on Friday 28th August, at Rutherford House, Pipitea Campus of Victoria University of Wellington. Lecture Theatres are on the ground floor, there’ll be signs to guide you to the right one(s).
RSVP to
newzealand@globalpovertyproject.com
so they have some idea how many lecture theatres they’ll need! They requested that for today as a deadline, but if you find this late, Sarah is a very accommodating person and may let you off.

One for the matriarchy…

I had the pleasure of attending two distinctly different Solstice celebrations this weekend, both involving food, fire and friends, one private & incorporating birthdays as well, and one very public.

I’ll review the public one, as it covers a few aspects of life dear to my heart.

There’s a fantastic group of people called the Phoenix Astronomical Society, who grew out of staff of the now-defunct Carter Observatory, where I was priviledged to work part-time a few years ago. They decided to set up a stone circle in the southern hemisphere, for the purposes of teaching star-lore to the inhabitants of Aotearoa/New Zealand, as well as visitors.

This is the now well-travelled locus of Solstice and Equinox festivals in New Zealand, and is a locus for Pagan groups (Druidic and Wiccan) from all over the North Island.
I’ve been invited many times, (including the historic Autumn Equinox of 2007, with the High Druid of Britain, Phillip Carr-Gomm, in attendance) but for one reason or another not made the trek – so this time, I thought I’d have a go.
There was a bus from Wellington, a dinner afterwards in Carterton, how hard could it be?

Having been advised to ‘rug up warm’, I layered on as much merino clothing as I could find, under my woolen dress, and got off the bus to find a damp afternoon in the Wairarapa, clouds threatening more rain; and a lot of people in cloaks of many colours under umbrellas, being watched by an even bigger crowd of sensibly dressed locals who’d come to observe the pagans. This was going to be interesting!

I joined with my hosts, members of the Grove of the Summer Stars of Wellington, and was duly offered a citronella torch to bear for the procession. Suitably equipped, I followed our leader and processed to the Henge, circling widdershins once before we entered the Henge to ‘hold’ the Southern placement during the ritual. There was an ‘order of service’, celebrants had parts scripted to play, and a flow of serious proclamations of our commitment to peace and care of the earth followed. I didn’t take as many photo’s as I thought I would, as I became caught up in the meaning of the ceremony.
(For a better explanation than I’m fit to give, see the Woolshed, home of the Grove.)

Grove of the Summer Stars banner

The ceremony began around 4.30pm, and continued through the dusk to true solstice about 6pm, when despite the overcast sky and inability to actually see the sun set directly over the sunstone, there was a very eery sense of power having been raised and then released in the course of the ritual.

Closing ritual - Druids Pamela and Tom

As this photo shows, it was quite dark and cold at the end!

Afterwards, we all piled back into the bus & various cars, and headed back to Carterton, where a dinner for about 200 pagans and sympathisers was held at the RSA. After-dinner entertainment came from Richard Hall, one of the Henge creators, who gave a sound presentation about the origins of modern pagan practice, assisted by Pamela from Wellington and Chris from Auckland.
This has to be the best midwinter feast I’ve ever attended, and I’ll certainly sign up for the next one.
More info (and better pictures) about the Henge here.

Supercities, Sow Crates, Families Commission: Back Benches

MP's Robertson, Dunne, Kedgley, Gilmore

Back Benches on Wednesday was a change to the normal routine – Wallace Chapman was MIA, rumoured to be presenting evidence to the Bain Trial in High Court, and was replaced by Damian Christie, who made a reasonable fist of representing the formula Chapman has been running as a template.

The panel comprised Grant Robertson (L), Sue Kedgley (G), Peter Dunne (UF) and Aaron Gilmore (N), and answered questions on the rapid passage of the Auckland Supercity legislation – both Robertson and Kedgley slating the process under urgency, Kedgley calling it ‘abuse of process’, both criticising the lack of consultation.

Then the topic moved to the pork industry, with Mike King’s video footage of the pig-farmers’ sow crates getting another once-over; again, both Robertson & Kedgley were condemnatory of the status quo that allows such practices, with Kedgley adding that it stretches credulity for the Minister of Agriculture to say he ‘did not know of’ the practice of intensive pig-farming using sow crates; Peter Dunne waded in to say he thought this practice was probably illegal, to the amusement of the crowd, and was swiftly corrected by Kedgley, who informed him that it was precisely the legality of the practice that was so unsavoury, and chastised the MinAg and previous Labour Government for not removing the right for farmers to continue to use sow crates (previously, much had been made of her experiences campaigning against such practices since 1999). After a sally by Aaron Gilmore in defense of his Minister, Dunne suggested that all this publicity would ‘damage our pork exports’, to which the rejoinder was ‘we are net importers of pork, and all our production is consumed here, not exported …’, another own-goal to the member for Ohariu.

Further topics included the costs of jury trials, and the windfalls to lawyers that these represent, which scored another few goals against Dunn, and lawyers in general; and the ubiquitous Christine Rankin – vox pops in Auckland were in favour of keeping her on the Families Commission (sample size = 10), but the mood in the Bar was more judgmental, especially in light of her media behaviour in past days – Kedgley calling her ‘divisive and partisan’, Robertson saying John Key must take responsibility for her appointment to the Commission, and Dunne very much against her, saying her personality made her unsuitable, and her tendency to comment, ad nausea, to the media on any topic made her a liability to the Commission.

The final question – Is the honeymoon over for the National Government? – led to to a stirring statement that ‘our PM is the most popular PM we’ve had in a generation’ from Aaron Gilmore, which was lost in catcalls from the assembled audience members.

Full footage of the show here.

A nite at the pub with Cath.

This week’s episode of BB was a hoot, with a panel comprising MP’s Charles Chauvel from Labour, David Garrett from Act, Louise Upston, Taupo from National, and our own Cath Delahunty.

Up for comment was the Supercity Bill, being rushed through Parliament on urgency tonight; Gun licensing control, & should the Police be armed for day-to-day patrols; and a final (squib) question about the National Anthem.
Many supporters for each of the panel were in evidence, and very vocal.

Cath relaxing after the show with supporters

Info about the programme this week here, which should also actually have the episode up once TVNZ7 have finished tidying it up …

Stoner alert: J-day review

After a week of rainy, blustery weather, J-day 2009 dawned fair, and the members of NORML who have been organising the event for a coupla months breathed a huge sigh of relief. Tents were raised, PA’s set in series, and the music and good times began to flow at around high noon on the 2nd May at Frank Kitts’ Park, Wellington, as well as at other venues around the country.

Banner with slightly out-of-date details ...

DJ’s Thief and Funkdamunk entertained the relaxed and cheerful crowd, who also created some of their own entertainment with juggling, poi twirlers and hacky sack being in evidence. The amphitheatre of the park was well filled by mid-afternoon, and despite the sky clouding over and the wind increasing slightly, there was a good crowd for the 4.20 smoke up.

Norml are making an attempt to get some more action on changing the legislation around marijuana possession, specifically in terms of the Misuse of Drugs Act, with the support of MP’s Tim Barnett, Meteria Turei, and former MP Nandor Tancos.

For more information about the campaign, see their website here.