Shoes of ANU

Across the Australian National University, significant restructuring is underway. Staff are being made redundant, and programs are being cut. The way these changes are unfolding, and the manner in which they are being implemented, is leaving a deep impact on the ANU community.

This site is a space for anyone affected by Renew ANU to share their story through a simple photo of their shoes and a few words. It will serve as a collective memory of this particular point in time.

Many people are affected, directly or indirectly. Some staff may want to speak out or show solidarity but feel unable to do so openly. Family members may be witnessing the stress and uncertainty faced by their loved ones. Students may be worried about the changes and what they mean for the future of their education.

If you have been impacted, you are invited to contribute.

Who can contribute?

  • Current or former staff

  • Current or former students

  • Family and friends of affected staff or students

Some submissions may be distressing to read. They may describe grief, stress, or mental health challenges. Please read with care.

Lifeline's crisis support service is available 24/7 by calling 131114 . Anyone in Australia can speak to a trained Crisis Supporter over the phone, any time of the day or night.
ANU staff and students can find additional support here: https://services.anu.edu.au/human-resources/wellbeing

The views expressed in submitted stories are those of the individual authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the site owner or its affiliates. We do not verify the accuracy of user-submitted content.

📸 Upload a photo of your shoes
📢 Share how the restructure has affected you
🔒 You will remain anonymous

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FAQ

  • Renew ANU is a university-wide initiative to cut costs and extensively restructure the Australian National University. This involves merging schools, renaming colleges, and ‘dissestablishing positions’.

    Two central justifications have been provided as the underlying rational for the restructure and other cost-cutting initiatives.
    The first is to save money because of the apparent poor financial position of the Australian National University over the last years as evidenced by the ‘underlying’ operating budget results.
    The second reason is to move to a more efficient operation model because allegedly the ANU performs extremely poorly in service efficiency and service satisfaction when compared to other similar universities in the benchmarked Uniforum data (owned by Nous).

    You can read more about the Renew ANU initiative here: https://www.anu.edu.au/about/renew-anu

  • After a Town Hall in early July 2025 a group of staff were discussing different ways to try and bring media or public attention to their issues.
    The idea of having shoes representing people was floated. This idea was also further discussed on Reddit by user ANU_Resistance.
    On the 30th of June 2025 a Canberra Times interview with the Vice-Chancellor was published. The interview included a discussion of shoes. The fact that shoes were being spoken about in a frivolous manner, at the same time people were losing their jobs was considered deeply upsetting to many people.

  • Yes, no personal information is is published unless you include it in your post and you want it to be published.

  • You are welcome to contact by email at shoesofanu @ proton.me (without spaces)

  • If you made a post but then changed your mind, please get in touch via email (shoesofanu @ proton.me) and we will remove it.

    To prove it was your post please include a photo of your shoes taken from a different angle.