Hobart folk, as a @UTAS_ academic and alumni, current Sandy Bay resident, former Glenorchy and Burnie boy, here's my opinion on moving the rest of the Sandy Bay campus to Hobart. Pls ignore if outside Hobart. #lgtas🧵 1/n
Two issues here, so don't conflate as is being done: 1. Should UTas move the rest of its academics to Hobart; 2) Should the Sandy Bay campus be reused for housing? 2/n
Before the long list, a note that I loved - like most people who attended uni at Sandy Bay in the 1990s or before - being at uni. Education has changed though. Campus life has changed. Complexity of lives have changed. The student body is more diverse by far. 3/n
Going back to the 1990s or earlier, as lovely as it was, is not the answer for the future. 4/n
1. on the city move first. The campus is currently split across the city. Let's all agree that is the case, given it is a fact. IMAS and the rest of STEM are split. Medicine and STEM are split. Fine Arts and Sciences are split. That's good for silos but not for collaboration. 5/n
2. access is a real thing. Sandy Bay is super convenient for my walk to work. But when I lived in Glenorchy, not so. When you've got things stacked against you gaining a uni degree, extra things matter much more than when you have everything flowing in that direction. 6/n
3. If you have a mobility issue then try catching a bus to Sandy Bay from Sorrell, then try and get into a 1960s building, then out in a hurry when there's a fire. I've had to help people think this through and it is a major obstacle. 7/n
4. A decision not to move from Sandy Bay is a decision to rebuild Sandy Bay and turn it into a building site for 10-15 years. It won't be a super pleasant place to work or study. A move to a built campus is smoother 8/n
5. SOOO many of our students now have part time or even full-time jobs and/or caring responsibilities. Sandy Bay is not easy to access as you race from the end of a shift as most of the jobs are not in Sandy Bay. This is a BIG shift from even 20 years ago. 9/n
5. One of the things missing from the discussion is about seeing opportunity in new things. An extra X thousand people in the city every day is only a traffic disaster if everyone drives. But isn't such a thing a trigger for a public transport revolution? Isn't that the plan?10/n
Public transport isn't for everyone, but as cities slightly larger than ours show, public transport can grow. It has tipping points where it becomes much more attractive. If businesses and customers filled the properties owned by the uni, wouldn't that also increase traffic? 11/n
6. Opportunities also exist in bringing the uni closer to business, government, and everyone. Want to learn about something new and cool? Walk into a lunchtime seminar in a public-facing space. Have a 'chance' conversation in a city cafe with a researcher. 12/n
As to what to do with Sandy Bay land. Let's face it, we need more housing. Some don't like the sounds of 2500 extra residences down the street. I sort of get that, but I would much prefer to see more families buying a home and seeing fewer people homeless in Hobart. 13/n
Assertions have been made that uni leadership have vested interest, or want to build empires, or don't have the best interest of Tasmania at heart, or are too stupid to understand options, or haven't even considered them. Please take it from me this is simplistic nonsense. 14/n
Finally, not everyone will agree, as you know. Academics will disagree. Students will disagree. Others will disagree. Some will agree. Don't base your vote of simplistic analysis and letters to the Editor. All the best as you decide on your indicative vote. 15/15 #VoteYes
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