By Jo Williams and Kim Luong
MELBOURNE — Students at Monash University reclaimed part of the Clayton campus as "corporate-free space" on July 24 in protest against up-front fees and the increasing privatisation of universities.
Students occupied the foyer of the administration building and set up a "tent city" after the council voted on July 7 to charge up-front fees for undergraduate students.
The students will stay until the council reconvenes and rescinds the decision. They argue that the move towards a "user-pays" education system guarantees entrance for only the wealthy, stating: "We want our university back, to study what we want, and to think what we want, at a fully publicly funded institution, for the benefit of the community, not profit."
More than 1500 students have signed a petition in support of the occupation, which has involved about 100 students, with around 20 students staying each night. Leaflets and posters are being distributed throughout the campus daily explaining the reasons behind the action; some have been translated into Indonesian and other languages.
Anti-fees and free education slogans adorn the walls of most buildings. Students hold collective meetings each day to organise campaigning activities, and have also held educational meetings on other issues such as feminism and Aboriginal land rights.
A "Rebel University" is being organised, to begin on August 19. Students are signing up for a diverse range of classes on topics including strategies in the education campaign and alternative living.
Staff are supporting the action, as they are also battling the university administration. They placed bans during the university open day recently in protest against attacks on working conditions, including moves to increase the lecture period from 8am to 9pm, seven days a week, and to introduce semester-long contracts. The bans shut down the arts and science faculties, but other staff, notably in the law and business faculties, ignored the bans.
A priority for the tent city is to build a rally during the national week of action against up-front fees which will take place in Melbourne on August 20.