Engineering & Computer Science

Not too much lifeblood spilled at the 'Big Feast'

More than 100 HDR students from the ANU College of Engineering and Computer Science braved pouring rain to gather at University House on Friday 15th June to participate in an animated debate between students and supervisors entitled, "We are the lifeblood of the University: We deserve better!"

This is the College's second 'Big Feast' of ideas, food, discussion and networking, which is specifically geared to the needs of graduate students within the College.

The debaters in the student team included Lachlan Blackhall, David Ferrari, Priscilla Kan John, Christopher Monteith and Stuart Wilson. The supervisor's team included Associate Professor Steve Blackburn, Dr Adrian Lowe, and Professor Bob Williamson. Professor Penny Oakes, Dean of Students, was moderator.

The student team started the debate on a lighthearted note by supplying the supervisor team with their speeches (just in case they had forgotten to prepare their own). They argued strongly that, "We, the students are the lifeblood of the University, and consequently we deserve better. Without us, academics as we know them, would not exist!" They emphasized that, "We do a lot of work; we are at the peak of productive creativity (as opposed to ageing academics); we are fun to have around."

The supervisor team responded by arguing that without students the University would still have an intellectual life. They referred to Michelangelo and the Master and Apprentice model and claimed that there were so many elementary things that they have to teach students, that they did not deserve better! The supervisor team were so confident of their intellectual contribution to university life that they even had the temerity to use Wikepedia as a reference source.

Professor Oakes did an excellent job of keeping both students and supervisors in order. She awarded the best question prize to Tim Jones who derisively pounced on the supervisor team's gaffe and asked why it used Wikipedia as a source of information, but deplored students doing the same.

Professor John Richards, Director and Dean of the College, focussed his closing remarks on the fact that the university cultivated a 'community of scholars' including both students and academics. In his final speech he highlighted student activism in the 1960s and 70s, commenting that there is much less activism in the new century. While not inciting students to go out and riot for their beliefs, he wondered aloud whether the loss of student activism was because of the changing nature of study that put increased pressure on students financially and intellectually, and that student activism was a sentimental loss to the scholarly community.

"Students and staff had a great time," said Dr Jochen Trumpf, Associate Dean (Research Training). "I'd like to thank fellow members on the organising committee for their time and commitment to the Big Feast this year, and of course thanks to the debating teams, Professor Richards and Professor Oakes.

"We'll be back again next year!"