I will admit that PWE is effectively a different program now than when I or Duffy ran it. We could offer 20 classes of 12 writing and editing subjects in first year and 14 classes of nine subjects in second year. I also had the support of the Vice Chancellor and key opinion leaders in education in Victoria.

I was contacted by graduates of PWE and two staff members who were worried that the program will lose its demographic. I apologise for taking so long to reply.

PWE has been ‘punching above its weight’ because of excellent teachers (current and past) and the ability to reverse articulate – which means taking mature age students with degrees or senior qualifications.

Turning to Cameron’s question – what would I have done differently if I was program director?

There are a number of ways to stop external fee hikes, Cameron.

1. A direct appeal to the Director of RMIT TAFE. This would almost not work as they don’t have the power to set fees and they tend to flee from anything that looks like a problem.

2. A direct appeal to the Vice Chancellor. The VC has the power to recalibrate fees in extraordinary circumstances. She would be more likely to listen if there was a student delegation and or petition. There are numerous precedents for this.

3. If that fails I would go direct to the media and clearly articulate the cost of charging $11,000 in fees and reiterate the productive cultural value and history of the course. I would also get the industry board (if it still exists) to lobby hard. You would be surprised how effective this can be.

4. At the same time, I would lobby the State Minister of Education and ask for a special amendment to the legislation. This is a reasonably simple (although protracted) process. ‘Exemptions’ to legislation are a common feature of modern parliamentary democracy and would be a win for the current Minister over the appalling previous ALP Minister.

5. If all the above fail, I’d make an appointment to see a Slater and Gordon lawyer to see if the legislation can be challenged and how much that would cost.

That’s just for a start, Cameron. Of course, the real power at Prof Writing lies with the students. It lies with you.

Every now and then we are called to examine our consciences. What you are witnessing is a massive disconnect between the content, structure, style and history of Victoria’s premier writing program and what will be offered this year. PWE is not alone. It’s happening to TAFE students across Victoria.

We take quality for granted and sometimes don’t recognise when fees rise and standards fall. But what is happening to PWE is a seismic shift. But I’m sure the staff did their best.

Let me prick your conscience Cameron and other PWE students. As you walk past Trades Hall, the John Curtin Hotel or the ‘Eight Hours Work, Eight Hours Rest’ statue outside the Emily MacPherson Building on the corner of Lygon and Victoria Street, it’s hard not to sense that men and women before us took on far greater challenges and won.

I must ask, Malcolm, what would you have done differently if you were program director?

You say “we need the spirit of Judy Duffy and Peter Lalor to stop the accountants from killing off a Victorian icon.” – We could also do without specious scaremongering reports about the course “floundering”. Come to Industry Overview on Wednesday night, see if it’s floundering.

I used to teach with Malcolm King in the 90s in Prof Writing and I completely agree with his assessment.

‘Prof Writing’ provided an excellent grounding in plot development and structure but not at a cost of charging students almost $6000 a year. It was fun too.

I’ve examined PWE’s current curriculum online and I cannot recognise any of the subjects. There are no second year subjects posted. How did to come to this?

I should probably put the record straight while I’m here. While it is right and true to praise Judy Duffy, when she left the program in 1996, applications had fallen to an all-time low.

About 30 percent of its student contact hours were consumed by drop outs. There was no full fee income. Student complaints were at an all time high as was staff turnover. There was serious talk of splitting the program up into short courses.

King revitalized the program and employed new part time staff.He wrote and launched the Master of Creative Writing and a raft of full fee short courses.

King promoted and rewarded staff. Arthur Clover won the University medal on King’s recommendation. He marketed the programs across Victoria and NSW and used political nous to select the best students and to keep the program vibrant and healthy.

He was the most experienced academic leader I have worked with.

I thoroughly enjoyed teaching at RMIT and the students were wonderful. I wonder if all the alternatives were examined with rigor. The notion of ‘evolution’ of PWE is questionable. It is devolution of the worst kind.

It’ a shame that it has come to this.

Dr Do-lots

Generally, I am very upset about what economic rationalism is doing to tertiary education in this country. You can’t just measure the value of a course by how many students get jobs out of it. Whatever happened to knowledge for knowledge’s sake? While the effects of cuts to vocational education won’t be immediately apparent,they will hurt us for years. The worse thing about these changes is that they are so easily done, and yet so hard to reverse.

Malcolm, did you go further than you needed to go here? What does gentrification have to do with the decline of the degree? Also, is the associate degree really more expensive than the diploma? I believe the administrators introduced the degree to reduce costs for students, rather than as an egregious money grab, as you suggest. It seems to me that this piece could be more rigorous and temperate in its arguments.