Students Say: Save SARC!
UOW’s student body have made their position clear on the proposed abolition of Safe and Respectful Communities (SARC), in a rally attended by students, staff, community members, and even representatives from other universities’ Women’s Collectives.
Students were first made aware of changes to UOW’s safety, support, and complaints services through an email sent out last month detailing the next phase of the UOW Transformation Plan. Despite Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor Mark Hoffman’s flowery language about “enhancing” and “restructuring” these services to best support students, we understand by now what these changes really mean. They’re just the latest in a series of cuts to jobs, classes, and services, ultimately degrading the quality of our education and university experience in the name of saving a few dollars.
In the wake of that email, the Wollongong Undergraduate Students’ Association (WUSA) launched the Save SARC campaign on social media, demanding that no changes be made to this essential service. The campaign was quickly shared by the Illawarra Women’s Health Service and backed by the University of Sydney Women’s Collective, who released a statement calling the proposed disestablishment of SARC “one of the most egregious abdications of responsibility we have seen from any university management to date.”
“Let’s be clear: this proposal will put students in danger,” says WUSA president, Hanzel-Jude Pador.
“It is reckless, it is shameful, and it sends the message that student safety is disposable in the eyes of this University.”
In 2023, SARC received 214 disclosures of sexual harm or domestic and family violence, with the 2021 National Student Safety Survey noting that UOW was above the national average for student experiences of sexual harm. SARC’s team provides tailored, trauma-informed support to these victim-survivors, as well as leading campaigns to prevent gender-based violence and promote respectful relationships.
These life-saving services are vital to safety on campus. But, UOW wants to disestablish SARC, cut all but 3 of their 10 staff, and collapse their role into an all-encompassing Assurance, Integrity, and Safety division. A statement from WUSA and the National Union of Students (NUS) says this “will leave the service gutted and effectively destroyed,” adding that the plan flies in the face of the new National Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence.
On October 6th, the Illawarra Mercury ran an article amplifying the Save SARC campaign. A few days later, it was clear that the university was feeling the heat, with a new email to students claiming that SARC would not be disestablished, that UOW is “strengthening support, not reducing services,” and that “it’s not about cutting costs or saving money.”
Addressing Thursday’s rally, WUSA Women’s Representative, Alexia Chipperfield, called this “damage control,” and called the university out for providing conflicting and misleading information to students. “We must demand respect and transparency from the university,” she said, adding that it is “the bare minimum.” Pador similarly emphasised that we cannot take the university at their word until a formal written plan has been handed down that does not axe SARC staff, does not abolish the SARC name, and does not change the current location of SARC on campus.
At the rally were students and staff from UOW, as well as a contingent from the University of Sydney, UNSW, and Macquarie University.
UNSW Women’s Officer, Ellena Cheers-Flavell, spoke to the crowd, explaining how difficult it is to access support at other universities, including an ongoing investigation of UTS for failing to improve after four reviews by the National Student Ombudsman. She emphasised the ability of services like SARC to save the lives of victim-survivors and the recklessness of these cuts, saying, “We wouldn’t get rid of a doctor’s office. We wouldn’t get rid of a hospital. We wouldn’t get rid of a vaccination clinic. So, why on Earth are we threatening [SARC]?”
The Save SARC campaign have identified next steps for students. Online feedback can be sent to the university via this form. You can also lodge complaints with UOW and with the National Student Ombudsman. If you are a student representative, you can also directly contact Vice-Chancellor Max Lu. Another action anyone can take is emailing Education Minister Jason Clare and Federal Member for Cunningham Alison Byrnes. Save SARC can be found on Instagram @savesarcuow for updates on the campaign and future actions.
