Ecology Students of La Trobe University have recently learned that the Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution, Albury/Wodonga is facing the loss of Drs Alexei Rowles and Susan Lawler at the end of 2016, as well as the discontinuation of ENV2/3AEC (Arid Zone Ecology) and a significant overhaul of ENV2/3ME (Mountain Ecosystems).

Both these subjects and their staff have had a profound impact on the many students who have undertaken them, and we are collectively devastated by and in strong protest of the restructure.

THE PROBLEM

We feel there are 3 core problems that comprise this issue:

1) The restructure is short-sighted and damaging not only to the education of young ecologists, but to the research itself. The immense value and significance of the Mountain and Arid Zone Ecology subjects relies on their teaching coming from those who have a cumulative knowledge of the subjects and environments over time - in other words, the Albury/Wodonga staff are irreplaceable as repositories of knowledge. Furthermore, for subjects that are known for their popularity and waiting-lists it is nonsensical to directly remove an opportunity for enquiry and learning from a captive audience.

2) The department is sending the message that it does not value researchers. Not only does removing mentors create ill-will among students, but it sends the message that academia does not matter. It says our contributions are only as valuable as far as the budget line extends. This directly disincentivises those of us considering post-graduate education. It triggers the descent down a slippery slope that will see a long-term reduction in competent scientists in higher education leading the field. In an era where ecological and conservation science are the defining issues of our time this is highly counter-intuitive.

3) The department is missing a key opportunity for the innovation LTU prides itself on. We as students see that it is harder than ever for ecology graduates to find work. We are keenly aware that we live in an era where the greatest threats we face are those of the ecological and conservational ilk. We feel, acutely, that the weight of 'what happens next' sits firmly upon our undergraduate shoulders. So what on earth makes the university think that stripping its students of mentors and future collaborators does anything but profoundly damage the opportunities we have to solve the employment and broader environmental crises we face? The crisis the department faces will not be solved by its decimation, but by using this as an opportunity to improvise and innovate. In losing educators like Dr Alexei Rowles and Dr Susan Lawler, the faculty is missing out on extraordinary opportunities to reimagine how research and education are structured with two excellent scientists at the helm of a team of willing students. 

FURTHER IMPLICATIONS

These decisions come on the back of a litany of issues and a mass of restructuring enacted upon the Albury/Wodonga Campus. Undergraduate courses in the Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution have been all but removed and relocated to Melbourne, leaving regional Australians without the easy and equal access to tertiary education that their city-dwelling counterparts have. This is a direct attack on regional students and communities, disadvantaging regional students financially, and robbing regional communities of their youngest and brightest.

Studying in regional Australia is directly relevant to ecological and environment conservation management, and crucial to community engagement when it comes to land management in regional and rural areas. The relationships metropolitan students build with regional students, universities and communities are essential to the ongoing employment of young ecologists and ongoing implementation and success of environmental initiatives state and nation-wide.

THE SOLUTION

Ideally, we students would like to see no change in the staffing of the Albury/Wodonga Department of Ecology, Environment and Evolution from it’s current state to 2017 and beyond, and no change in the staffing and delivery of ENV2/3AEC (Arid Zone Ecology) and ENV2/3ME (Mountain Ecosystems).

We, as the students who this impacts, would like our input taken into consideration if any restructuring is under consideration, and are willing to participate in focus-groups or forums to this effect.

Further commentary and impact statements from students are viewable in the comments below. 

Thank you for your consideration.