Anyone saying the campus is at risk of closing who does not have the underpinning evidence adds to community perception the campus is at risk, therefore undermining perceptions and perpetuating the myth. 

In short, it’s the neigh sayers who are risking the campus.

The evidence I have is that Deakin University has made a long term commitment to strengthen the Warrnambool campus.

This is demonstrated by a long term planning process in play now, the five- year appointment of a chief executive officer charged with developing systems and processes to support the growth required.

Vice Chancellor Professor Jane den Hollander constantly confirms her commitment to the campus as a vital part of Deakin University.

So when people falsely create perceptions that the campus is at risk – and when the newspaper gives such prominence to these claims - what they are doing is undermining the community’s confidence. If people believe the myth they are less likely to enrol, putting more pressure on numbers ...maybe even forcing the myth to become reality in the long term.

The job of the union is to protect jobs, but the union needs to take a strategic view and get behind Deakin's long term vision, or at least know about it. Scare mongering in the short term promises to damage more than a few jobs. Ultimately, it is people such as they who could be causing a decline enrolments and contributing to the communities lack of confidence in the longevity of the campus. If people want to support jobs stability in the long term, get behind Deakin, get out there, have a look, enrol, support and promote. Don't perpetuate the myth!!

Toni Jenkins, Warrnambool

There has been a lot of attention lately on the future of Deakin University’s Warrnambool Campus, and rightly so.

Higher education is a stepping stone to the skills that will power the jobs of the future. At the same time, universities need to match their courses to what industry and the community needs.

That’s why we started our Warrnambool 2020 project, to consider a range of options for the future of higher education in Warrnambool. That process is ongoing and involves a range of discussions in Warrnambool and beyond.

The changes to Deakin’s School of Communication and Creative Arts are not part of the Warrnambool 2020 project.

The school restructure is across all four Deakin campuses.

Since the caps came off university places in 2012, enrolment of students in our Bachelor of Arts program at Warrnambool has become unsustainable.

We sought to secure ongoing employment for three academic staff at Warrnambool elsewhere at Deakin.

However, the restructure also involved Burwood staff moving to the Waterfront Campus and Waurn Ponds staff moving to Burwood.

As always, we remain heartened by the interest and support of the Warrnambool community.

Professor Jane den Hollander, Vice-Chancellor, Deakin University

Re Andrew Denton’s piece, Doctors should not look on, The Standard (November 12).

I watched Q&A on Monday night and Andrew Denton was given lots of time to get his point of view across.

I watched my husband Peter, with our family, die from a very aggressive prostate cancer and yes he was in pain some of the time but every moment we had with him was precious.

It did come to a point in time where his pain increased markedly and he expressed to me that he had had enough.

Peter gave permission to doctors and staff to administer much stronger pain medication which did relieve his pain and he was mostly unconscious until he died three days later.

By this time of staying with him day and night we were ready to let him "go home to God" for his sake.

We were happily married for 56 years.

I was not ready to say goodbye before that point in time.

Warrnambool has a wonderful Palliative Care Unit at South West Health Care and have a reputation of being well ahead with new innovations of care.

Retired Dr Eric Fairbank and team have been magnificent in what they have achieved over many years.

I was a volunteer for 17 years on the massage team.

In latter times Lyndoch Living Aged care and Community care give extra home services to help patients and carers to cope in the home.

There is now a new program called "Hospice in the Home" which Dr Eric Fairbank heads and he and his team have trained volunteers to go into homes of terminally ill patients for longer periods of time for four to six hour stints and will also care for patient at night so carer can sleep.

This would have been great when Peter was sick but I was lucky to have family to help me.

Doctors have so many things to contend with and their first priority is to their patients but they do not need the extra burden of making such final life and death decisions decided by law and not conscience.

Palliative care is about intent to relieve pain not to end life.

Maureen Healey, Warrnambool