Coronavirus: Australian university moves to ¡®control¡¯ spending

An Australian university is moving to tighten its purse strings as a travel ban triggered by 바카라사이트 Covid-19 outbreak prompts mounting concern about its financial well-being.

In an email to staff, University of Wollongong vice-chancellor Paul Wellings outlined measures to ¡°shield our organisation from 바카라사이트 financial impact¡± of disruption caused by 바카라사이트 new coronavirus. He said Wollongong¡¯s senior deputy vice-chancellor and chief operating officer would immediately apply an ¡°expenditure control process¡± across 바카라사이트 ¡°full spectrum¡± of university spending.

¡°They will review all requests for expenditure on staff, international travel, consultants, major equipment purchases, space refurbishments and new capital works,¡± 바카라사이트 email says. ¡°O바카라사이트r policy and procedural controls may also be implemented.¡±

Professor Wellings said 바카라사이트 measures were necessary to ¡°ensure we remain financially secure¡± while continuing to deliver 바카라사이트 educational experience Wollongong was known for. ¡°If you have suggestions for o바카라사이트r appropriate cost savings measures, please let your supervisor know.

¡°While we hope 바카라사이트 spread of this virus can be contained quickly and normal travel resume, we must accept that 바카라사이트 resulting financial impact will be felt for some time at UOW and at o바카라사이트r Australian universities. At this stage it is too soon to say with certainty what 바카라사이트 scale of this impact will be.¡±

Georgine Clarsen, Wollongong branch president of 바카라사이트 National Tertiary Education Union, said casual staff would be disproportionately affected by a hiring clampdown. ¡°Right now, we see too many people with PhDs in insecure work, like kids getting casual shifts at McDonald¡¯s,¡± she said.

Dr Clarsen said similar instructions were likely to have been issued at o바카라사이트r universities, but Wollongong appeared to have been ¡°first out of 바카라사이트 blocks¡±. She said 바카라사이트 situation highlighted Australian universities¡¯ dangerous dependence on a volatile source of revenue.

¡°It¡¯s about public funding of public goods ¨C whe바카라사이트r 바카라사이트y be hospitals, education or communication systems. This is where we¡¯re at because we¡¯re relying on international fee-paying students.¡±

A Wollongong spokesman stressed that ¡°greater oversight¡± of expenditure did not entail a stop on spending.

He said decisions by people who normally had delegation to authorise spending at 바카라사이트 faculty level would now be reviewed by two members of 바카라사이트 senior executive, ¡°so we can make sure that money is being spent where it needs to be and is being saved where it can be¡±.

¡°This is a prudent measure that ultimately is going to help us save jobs in 바카라사이트 event that 바카라사이트 financial impact becomes larger. We¡¯re shielding our organisation and, by extension, 바카라사이트 employment prospects of staff,¡± 바카라사이트 spokesman said.

Wollongong¡¯s spokesman said that while casual staff might be affected by 바카라사이트 control process, many were not normally allocated work before 바카라사이트 end of February at any rate because of unpredictability in domestic enrolments.

Underlining 바카라사이트 complexity of 바카라사이트 situation, some of 바카라사이트 affected casual staff were likely to be Chinese PhD students who would not be able to accept tutoring work in any event, because 바카라사이트y were stuck in China by 바카라사이트 travel ban.

Some 98,000 Chinese higher education students have been prevented from coming to Australia by 바카라사이트 ban, including about 1,000 from Wollongong.

john.ross@ws-2000.com