Hey has anyone noticed how shit it has been at flinders uni over the few years . 1st and 2nd year probably don’t realise it but flinders used to be a really good place to be . We had a really good student paper (the empire times) (it wasn’t always shit), activities used to always be happening on the plaza and in the tav and students used to actually care about each other.

It seems that now days Flinders has gone to the dogs.

Sorry about the rant.

trust me, you only say that because you don't know how good it used to be.

I am not entirely convinced that Flinders uni has gone to the dogs… Yet.

However there are some worrying trends developing around the University that do worry me.

You are right, I am not concerned about fashion trends at Flinders, I think we possibly could be the best dressed university in the state if not the nation

Here is a bit of an adhoc list of what I see as a few disturbing trends at uni. 


1) The failure of the university to commit to providing services to university students post VSU.
Flinders uni administration has provided a very limited amount of funding for some very basic student services, this includes academic and financial counselling and not much else. The Uni has not provided funds for student media, clubs and societies, student spaces, and other services which although are not directly related to study are apart of the university experience. At a uni like flinders which in somewhat detached from local shops etc the university needs to fund facilities or lose out to CBD campuses.

2) The over enrolment of certain “popular” degrees that have limited future pathways for students.
The pressure to ensure the profitability of certain degrees leads to their career prospects being promoted above and beyond reality. Two classic examples of this are “forensic sciences” and “nutrition and dietetics”.  Very few people from the university will inform prospective students of the reality of the prospective job opportunity for graduates of these degrees. This results in 40 or so graduates each year competing for the two graduate positions that are available in both of these fields.

3) As mentioned elsewhere, the use of the term customer rather than student.
Students have a special relationship with education institutions, in which the institutions concern for the welfare of the student extends beyond the campus and the duration of their . The use of the term “Customer” signifies that the uni is perhaps wishing for a more market driven relationship in which the university hold obligations to provide only those services which are directly related to the “student” or the “customers” course of study.

4) The intrusion of the university into a student organisation.
At Flinders uni the various student organisation were created and funded using money which came directly from the pockets of students. These monies were used to purchase infrastructure as well as provide services. In July 2006 with the passing of federal legislation banning the collection of student services fees the student organisations merged into FCCS or Flinders ONE. One of the universities conditions for the providing of funds for academic and financial counselling was that the board of the new organisation would be half non-students (effectively employees of the uni). This has meant that the university has taken a large degree of control over the organisations infrastructure (many millions of dollars) away from students despite the fact this infrastructure was purchased by students. 

I think I'd agree with 1) and 2) despite only being a first year who's just done her first semester. One of the other things that really shits me off is the fact that everything's ridiculously overpriced for a university and I'm glad we're out near Marion Shopping Centre so if I have a break between classes, I can go down there instead.