Australian National University students are threatening to disrupt one of the university's major public relations events by protesting budget cuts during Saturday's open day.
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Students are giving management until 5pm Friday to respond to a list of demands before they "make the ANU's position known" to thousands of members of the public and prospective new students.
ANU is one of five tertiary institutions across Canberra taking part in the Canberra Tertiary Open day which attracts students from every state and territory to Canberra to take part in a range of campus events.
The ANU Education Action Group has been marshalling student opposition to recent revelations the College of Arts and Social Sciences intended phasing out tutorials for large open forums next year due to budget cuts.
On Wednesday, the group wrote to Deputy Vice-Chancellor Marnie Hughes-Warrington and the Dean of the College of Arts and Social Sciences Toni Makkai to demand all courses run tutorials across all years.
Professor Hughes-Warrington was asked by the Vice-Chancellor Ian Young earlier this month to conduct a review of the proposed phasing out of tutorials after students expressed their outrage at the move.
Professor Young said he had not been informed of the planned changes and initiated a review because "I understand the proposed changes within CASS would represent a significant change from the traditional approach, and as such need to be carefully considered''.
The review will be completed by mid-September.
The ANU said in a statement that more than 100 students had volunteered for Open Day, including the student ambassadors and numerous student clubs and societies taking part.
“We expect the group of students in the Education Action Group will be there too,” it said.
“The students in the group have participated, sometimes very loudly, in three student forums we've held over the past few months, and have contributed to the review on the CASS tutorial proposal that is well underway.
“We welcome all students letting us know their views and making their suggestions about ANU. Constructive debate is a wonderful part of life at ANU.”
Students have given Professor Hughes-Warrington a list of demands including keeping tutorials, respecting academic autonomy, valuing the postgraduate teaching of tutors, consulting with students and providing fair pay and workloads for staff by accepting the National Tertiary Education Union's demand for a 4.5 per cent pay rise.
Currently negotiations over the pay deal have stalled with management offering 2 per cent and the union was this week given permission to begin protected industrial action by the Fair Work Commission.
Student said "If ANU cannot make a public commitment to these demands by 5pm Friday 30 August, then we as students must respond."
"We will feel ethically obliged to stand up for our education, for the academics who nurture our minds and for future students. Hence, if ANU cannot agree to these demands, then we will be compelled to make ANU's position known at the ANU Open Day."
