Staff at the University of Technology Sydney were reportedly told to “wash delicates” to manage stress after the announcement that the uni had suspended more than 100 courses.
The move was revealed on Thursday by Vice Chancellor Andrew Parfitt, who said in a statement (per The Sydney Morning Herald) that UTS had “temporarily suspended” new student enrolments for more than 100 bachelor and postgraduate programs, with some 400 staff jobs now on the chopping block.
The suspension affects 146 courses across six faculties, with the uni saying the temporary enrolment halt was applied to “those [courses] which have low student enrolments”.
The UTS Business School, Faculty of Design and Society, Faculty of Engineering and IT, Faculty of Health, Law, Science and the Transdisciplinary School are among the affected faculties.
The faculty of Design and Society took the biggest hit with more than 60 courses suspended, while the Health faculty had 33 courses axed. The Science Faculty, meanwhile, will no longer offer majors in mathematics, physics or environmental science.
The uni stressed that the move is “aimed only at prospective new students for 2026” and has “no impact on current” students. It also reiterated that only enrolments have been suspended, and courses have not been altogether discontinued.
“I want to be very clear that no decision has been made to discontinue any course,” Parfitt reportedly said in an email sent to staff.
The uni said the decision was made as it “continually reviews its course offerings… to make sure our curriculum is relevant to what students and employers need”.
It’s reported that hundreds of jobs are now at stake as a result of the move, with staff apparently sent stress management advice in the face of being axed.
Per the ABC, staff were directed to a wellbeing hub, provided by an outside source, that listed 50 tips to manage stress around potential termination, including advice to “do that task you’ve been dreading, like washing delicates, organising receipts for your taxes, or cleaning a bathroom”.
Other tips reportedly included “bak[ing] a dessert”, “brush[ing] your teeth every day” and “start[ing] a tea ritual”.
Hundreds of jobs are now in question, but UTS has not yet revealed which positions will be axed.
While UTS said the course cuts arose from a review of its offerings, The Sydney Morning Herald claims the move is part of a plan to find $100 million in savings next year.
It comes just two weeks ahead of the uni’s annual open day.
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