Who Said Salient Never Does Negative Reviews? Uni Responses to COVID-19

Brock Stobbs | He/Him

0/5 STARS

Victoria University of Wellington – 0/5

I flipped and flopped with this review. I was going to give a middle-range rating in light of all of the work the support services have done to help students during the lockdown. These staff continue to provide us with essential support and I’m thankful. But then good ole GG, William Grant Guilford, decided now was the time for a fuck up. Charging a ‘placeholder fee’ and then excusing it as necessary to avoid cutting costs via staff pay reductions is a money-grubbing act. Why is their go-to response always pitting students against staff? Shit like this is honestly just irredeemable—even after backing down. You’d think being a veteran of Grant Guilford’s University of Wellington would mean these decisions wouldn’t come as a surprise. Good ole GG always manages to top himself. A rotten cherry on an already rancid cake is what this is.

University of Otago – 0/5

I’m not going to lie, it’s hard for me to overlook the giant shit show that is the decision to cut ties with Critic, the student magazine at Otago. What can I say, I guess I’m just a shill for student media? Considering universities are not exactly renowned for their effective communication and engagement with students, depriving them of one generally successful information provider is nonsensical and reeks of pettiness. And surprise, surprise, students are being charged accommodation fees during the lockdown as well. I’m starting to see a trend here. However, credit where credit is due, the recent (as of writing this) announcement of Pūtea Tautoko, a $1.5 million hardship fund for students facing financial hardship as a result of COVID-19 is a positive development for students. A silver lining in an otherwise spectacular shit show.

University of Auckland – 0/5

Screwing over students in hall accommodations seems to be a Vice-Chancellor’s favourite pastime at the moment. As I'm writing this, I am reading of a student who has had to pay $263 a week for a room they can’t live in. Sound familiar Vic students? They, likely many others, will keep being charged until they can move back in. Love that for them. Another nugget of immoral decision-making I found was the university asking some contract staff to work for no pay. The staff in question are running a foundation course aimed at securing University Entrance for those who didn’t whilst at school—a group who largely come from disadvantaged backgrounds and a majority of whom are Māori and Pasifika.

Everyone else – ?/5

I have done zero research into how every other university has responded to COVID-19 (not entirely true, I mostly ran out of space). This is not to mention all the polytechs and private tertiary institutions across the country that are composed of students just like us. Would I give a rating despite knowing bugger-all about their tertiary institutions? Of course I would! My prediction, based on absolutely nothing at all but my unbridled pessimism, is that it consists of middling support and piss poor communication. Am I wrong? Maybe, but I doubt it.

That isn’t to say there hasn’t been some great work across the board. I mentioned in the beginning the support services at Vic are doing the Lord's work. Truly they are. I’m sure the same can be said for many academic and other staff at these universities too. But this isn’t about them, it’s about the institutions and their leadership. I will always respect the workers who are there to teach us, support us, and contribute positively to our university experience (BIG UP the cleaning staff at Vic, please pay them more OCS). It’s just unfortunate the leadership teams running these universities suck so bad.

Image Credit: Hayden Fisher