University of Otago design students are concerned they might not be able to finish their degrees if the applied sciences department closes, despite university promises to the contrary.
Second-year student Ben Alder has led the charge against the proposed closure of the department.
Although sciences pro-vice chancellor Prof Keith Hunter has said repeatedly that ''whatever decisions are made, [students] will be able to complete their qualifications'', students were not convinced that would be the case, Mr Alder said.
A consultation document released via an official information request outlines a plan for required design courses to be phased out over the next two years, presumably giving students time to finish their degrees.
In a meeting with the university last week, Mr Alder learned present academic staff, almost all of whom would be made redundant under the closure proposal, might be offered contract work to teach the remainder of courses required for students to finish their degrees.
''But that's all dependent on whether the staff want to come back.''
Prof Hunter said in a statement yesterday, ''at this stage, we have not worked through the details [of course provision] because we do not yet know if the proposal will go ahead and how it will play out for the staff that might be affected''.
Mr Alder was also upset students had not been included in the initial consultation, and were provided the consultation document only after filing an official information request.
''They didn't even inform us we could make submissions,'' he said.
''Students have not been involved in the process at all.''
In the statement, Prof Hunter referred to a ''consultation process involving staff and students''.
He also said once the consultation process was over and an ''amended proposal for change'' was tabled, ''affected students will be contacted if required''.
''They would be invited to make submissions and their input would be welcomed.''
The consultation document itself does not mention soliciting student feedback, saying only the ''consultation process will include ... employees and the unions having the opportunity to make submissions''.
Consultation officially closed yesterday, but the students were told submissions received before Friday would be considered, because Prof Hunter was overseas until then.
A group of design students, including Mr Alder, planned on making a submission this week.
Former design student Josie Brough, who now works as a designer at Fairfax Media in Wellington, also made a submission on the proposed closure.
She did not understand why the university was proposing to close its design programme.
''I don't know what to say, because it makes so little sense.''
In addition to her own, personal submission, Ms Brough wrote a letter co-signed by 66 other graduates, expressing concern over the closure proposal and the impact it might have on ''not only the current and future students of Otago, but also all industries that require people with the skills that [design staff] teach''.
Contacted yesterday, she said the university's design programme was fundamentally different from any other design degree in the country, because it was ''human-centred design''.
''At other universities or polytechnics, you get taught how to do things,'' she said.
''What they teach at Otago is all the theory behind that.''
She echoed a sentiment expressed by former head of department Thomas Bley yesterday, that the university did not ''understand'' design.
''They haven't really taken the time to try and understand,'' she said.
Both Ms Brough and Mr Bley opposed the department's restructuring in 2010 that led to the creation of the department of applied sciences.
She thought present staff was ''doing the absolute best they can with what happened in 2010''.
''If they were given more support from the university, all they could do is grow,'' she said.
