REDECORATING THE CORRIDORS OF POWER WITH RAINBOWS SINCE 1986 The Byron Shire Echo • Volume 39 #22 • November 6, 2024 • www.echo.net.au
The fall out from SCU dropping arts degrees Paul Bibby Arts and design students from Southern Cross University (SCU) have vowed to fight on in spite of the university’s decision to discontinue their programs. The university announced last week that, from next year, the university will no longer take enrolments for its standalone Bachelor of Arts degree, or its degrees in Art and Design, Contemporary Music, and Digital Media. While current students will be able to complete their degrees, no future enrolments will be accepted. Past and current students from the Bachelor of Art and Design degree at the university have launched a petition opposing the decision, and some of the country’s most significant artists and institutions have also spoken out. ‘What we’re losing here is an opportunity for emerging artists in our community to pursue tertiary level qualifications,’ Bachelor of Arts and Design student, Rebecca Lavery, told The Echo. ‘This is a huge blow, not only to our artists, but to the fabric of our community. You have to ask what this says about the university’s attitude toward the arts and the attitude of society as a whole.’ Vice-chancellor Tyrone Carlin told the ABC that the degrees were no longer viable, owing to falling enrolment numbers.
Funding changes Professor Carlin has also publicly stated that the changes to higher education funding
Lennox Head Surf Lodge approved ▶ p2
introduced by the Morrison Coalition government in 2021 may have contributed to this decline. Under these changes, known as the Job-ready Graduates Package, the cost of degrees in arts, law and commerce were increased, while degrees in science, engineering, maths and technology were made cheaper. ‘The cost of a degree like this, set against the cost of a degree in teaching or nursing, is quite radically different and much more expensive,’ Professor Carlin told the ABC. ‘But there could have been a whole range of other factors at play too. It’s hard to know.’ But current students say they have seen no proof that enrolment numbers were dwindling. ‘They’ve stated in the media that it was that, but that’s not what I’ve witnessed,’ Ms Lavery said. ‘They had a good intake last year, and as far as I know, there have been very few dropouts’.
Calls for transparency ‘The public deserve to have some transparency about what’s really going on here… We should know what informed the decision’. The students have also questioned whether the university deliberately allowed the arts courses to wither on the vine. ‘I think you have to ask the question – have they been investing in these degrees: funding them, supporting them, promoting them? ‘We’d like to ask them “If the enrolment numbers have been dwindling, What have you done to ▶ Continued on page 2
Byron Chamber wins NSW Business Awards ▶ p3
Enter if you are deadly
Zombies, ghouls and dead-beats came dressed in their best Day of the Dead outfits to the North Byron Hotel last Saturday. There were fancy Mexican-inspired cocktails and delicious food, while punters danced to the beats by Afrodisea, Kenzo Cruz, Monsieur Diop and Soun of Seijin. Photo Jeff ‘Great, Full, Dead’ Dawson
Sugar zombie apocalypse last Thursday
H
omes were ransacked for confectionary last Thursday, after the streets were taken over a large cohort of generation alpha (those born from 2010 to 2024). It was part of the so-called Halloween tradition that is mainly observed in the US, yet has found its way across the pond. Children as young as five – with prenatal supervision – were seen
Interview with Cr Jack Dods ▶ p9
consuming refined sugar products containing lab-made food additives, which are, remarkably, approved by Australia’s food regulator, Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ).
Stranger things ‘Stranger Things have been seen’, said one bugged-eyed adolescent with a mouth full of Allen’s Milko Chews as he zipped off on his
Building more dams is a costly gamble ▶ p12
scooter to ransack treats from his closest neighbours. The yearly event sees the mood of young children shift dramatically for a few hours, as they re-enact scenes from zombie movies made famous by George A Romero, John Carpenter, and Wes Craven. ‘There will be increased appointments’, said one dentist who wished to remain anonymous.
A look at the region’s thriving arts scene ▶ p20
The Mullum Show hits town this Friday ▶ p22
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