16 October 2006

UC's SA membership runs at 5%

| johnboy
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The University of Canberra’s Student Journalism outlet, NowUC, has an interesting story on the uptake of Voluntary Student Unionism:

“The student association (UCSA) has revealed it spent $82,000 on renovations for its offices, yet only five per cent, or 520 students have bothered to sign up”

Showing the grasp of fiscal reality for which student politicians are renowned throughout the land the SA President, Marc Emerson, defends the money spent on the basis that the University had spent $100,000 on a proposal for a lake. Ignoring the minor matter that the University could afford the money and his body could not.

In any event the 5% sign up seems to vindicate the Government’s view that students had little real desire for the services offered at vast expense by their elected bodies.

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I echo Andrew’s opinion on the spending of so much money on renovating the offices. As a committee member I supported the concept of upgrading the office, I could not support the amount spent or the way in which it was passed (through an appropriation of up to $100,000. The total cost and all decisions would then be done by the labor controlled executive). Considering that I had no idea how much it would cost, and having no further say in the matter I couldn’t in good conscience support an appropriation of such money. To find out later that the bill was $80,000 was deeply worrying.

While I am the president of the UC Liberal Club, and a staunch supporter of VSU, it is not my wish to see the death of the students association. Ultimately that choice will (and should be) made by the students. To spend so much money on xboxs, plasma tv’s etc when the association is entering a very very lean period, has meant that the SA has gone backwards instead of forwards.

I don’t share the faith of Marc in thinking that we will recuperate this money in the long term, and I fear that the student services that the association should provide with the blessing of its members (advocacy etc)will suffer as a result.

I’ll bring the gluten free snags and beers! 🙁

Have we got any ‘regulars’ that are vegos?

*te he* @ ‘RiotActers’ – I do like that term

BBQ and beers – now that sounds like a plan. How about we have a BBQ in a nice park somewhere and all RiotActers who home brew can bring some samples for everyone to sample? I have this wicked ginger beer that has honey in it when it was fermented…

Vic Bitterman8:23 pm 17 Oct 06

Hahahahahahaha

VSU is proving that ‘Compulsory’ Student Unions suck dogs balls big time.

The students have voted!!!

I really hope those fat leso womyns and their ilk who drained a typical student union are suffering – your average student isn’t propping them up any more!!!!

VY, you buy me a snag and I’ll buy you a beer.

This could be the next RA thing – BBQ and Beers.

Absent Diane4:18 pm 17 Oct 06

nope i only saw it from one ear.

yes AD because all homosexuals are just perfect examples of civility and decorum, exhibiting far greater taste and talent than normal folk.

hang on – did i just stereotype ?

Absent Diane4:08 pm 17 Oct 06

and just to add relevance.. if they can push their sexuality around.. then why can’t fags?

Absent Diane4:07 pm 17 Oct 06

its not the football playing.. that was just an example… I am talking about all those testosterone fuelled wankers that treat women like shit… and act aggressively around there mates to prove that they are tough hetro males. I hate these idiots. I have never been the victim of any of that kind of shit, because people are naturally intimidated by me for some reason… but I have a lot of friends who have been, victimised by those types.

I have never been to the mardi gras parade, nor will I. I figure if I don’t like it I can simply leave them alone. I expect the same in return.

In all reality, there are times when fags would do well to just keep their mouths shut and live their lives without bothering others. Just as I am expected to do.

i dont know if playing football is a declaration of sexuality in the same way as standing on the back of a truck decorated by a 20 foot phallus during the mardi gras parade.

Fair enough, I’d say. Like I said, I’ll generally only reply if someone else starts the shouting, but there’s no reason fags shouldn’t share the same view.

Speaking of homosexuality, I only believe in gay marriage when both chicks are hot.

Absent Diane3:15 pm 17 Oct 06

Footy heads and those kind of wankers all do it. So why shouldn’t fags? that is more the point I was raising.

It’s not about proving anything, it’s about my right in this country to go about my business unmolested. If a gay person feels the need to shout about being gay, why can’t I shout about being straight? Don’t mistake this for dislike of homosexuals, I personally don’t have a problem with them (although I choose not to do it myself) – the issue is one of shouting.

What rank does a sexuality officer hold?

It’d have to be a step up from the grunts.

Absent Diane2:04 pm 17 Oct 06

but vy no more than any fuckhead jock that has to prove to his mates how hetro he is.

Lots of people at uni seem to think it’s their right to thrust their sexuality in the face of others. They get very indignant when you encourage them not to. Certain terms and phrases, it would seem, agitate them greatly!

Better that than a turkey slap bonfire….

sexuality officer ?

good grief.

a university is a place of learning. why do these fools think that their ‘sexuality’ has to be thrust into peoples faces…

Andrew Doherty, the Sexuality Officer, that is.

I was going to post this up, so I am pleased to see it is already done.
I commend Andrew for voicing his opposition.

Woody Mann-Caruso11:17 am 17 Oct 06

Fucking fascists – I hope they go bankrupt.

Don’t worry Nyssa, I’ll buy you a sausage.

heeheeheehee

I was told (prior to it being voluntary) last year that if I didn’t pay the $135, I wouldn’t be enrolled in my units.

Arseholes.

…I should probably add that the arguments revolved around statements like “but we’re engineering students, and will be earning a shitload more than the useless lazy bludgers who’s interests you are trying to represent, so you can take you socialist horseshit and tell it to your customers while you get them their fries.”

Sometimes the comments were less polite, too. We also used to go to the ‘free’ barbeques put on for rallys, eat heaps (and yes, a bunch of 8 6 foot engineering students can eat a fair bit when they try), then simply refuse to march/protest, saying how much we liked the incumbent management, but thanks so much for lunch.

On hindsight I probably should have just paid the membership fee. But I didn’t.

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

There is as advantage to having hippie and socialist newspapers around the place, and that was winding up the morons handing them out! We derived considerable entertainment from endless arguments over socialist doctrine with purple clothed hippie losers.

“And VY, are you sure about that?”

I distinctly remember paying the ASF separately, and telling the uni admin chick that I was paying the SU fee directly, or some such.

Admittedly it was a while ago!

Oh come on Thumper – be a team player! Just think about how many student politicians had a damn good time on your hard earned cash each semester.

The NUS doesn’t have a presence on all campuses, it wasn’t at ANU until about 4 years ago.

Caf, you forget the thuggish NUS making it more trouble than it’s worth to the uni’s (which were quite happy to charge extra taxes on students anyway)

Hell the NUS almost made it too hard for the federal government.

What gets me about this is that they used all students’ money to pay for the upgrades, but not all students are able to use the facilities — only those who have joined the SA. I intended to join up, but on the day when I managed to get organised enough to have the money spare and on me and at uni, I couldn’t find anyone to give it to.

And VY, are you sure about that? Because if you had the uni HECS notice with the $135 ASF on it, they automatically took the ASF out of whatever you paid. A friend of mine thought he’d paid the minimum HECS amount to get the discounts, but they took the ASF out of it and he didn’t find out until too late to get it.

If the services are so unwanted, then how come no uni ever implemeted this until they were forced to? (yes – that’s right, charging all students a fee to fund the union was always a choice made by the uni). Shouldn’t market forces have meant that the unis would only have done this if in fact it did make their campuses more attractive places to study? Is not VSU unwarranted meddling in the market?

The last couple of year I was at UC I just didn’t pay the student union fee. No-one came asking after it, so I figured they could get along without my contribution. I was a union delegate for one of the largest unions in the country when I was working part time (and studying full time), and seeing what went on there was enough to cure me of ever wanting further union involvement.

$130 more in my pocket each semester. I love VSU.

I was doing my masters at night and had to pay for the amenities fees.

The only thing open during our 20 min break was the damn library. I argued with the guy over this – seeing as it was only a part-time enrolment – and he said I still had to pay full fees.

The TV reminds me of a rort at ACU when I was there. The “president” basically bought up all this new exercise equipment and kept it in the office. Therefore no one used it, so after 3-6 months,he bought it off the school for a cheaper price.

Ironically, he’s still doing relief teaching 5 yrs later.

darkladywolf6:05 am 17 Oct 06

I’d second that it’s less Union related, and more money/time/effort related.

While I was at UC *mumble* years ago, I never really knew what services there were, nor if anything I used was financed by them. Though I think the pool tables were…

I think those interested in the political side may be more likely to join than the average I’m here to party/I’m here to study/I’m here cause I have nothing better to do, type students.

Of course, wasting money you don’t have on anything is a bit silly. Though I do think Marc Emerson has a fine career in Politics ahead of him. He’s already comparing apples with oranges.

Students are pragmatists with little spare time or money. I doubt it’s an anti-union thing.
However it does sound like the SA bought a lot of unnecessary stuff. I’ve been at UC (part-time) all year and knew nothing about the tellys . . . mind you, I’ve been there (part-time) for several years, have had to pay full amenities fees, and have used nothing at all provided by the SA as far as I can tell. Hang on – one of those plasmas must have my name on it!

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