So there is talk about the government permitting universities to charge a compulsory non-academic fee of up to $250 for the purpose of funding student services and amenities.
Student unions might or might not get any of the money. It seems likely that the intention is that they will, but at unimelb, most of the services are run by the university, rather than a student association. However, a student association itself is a kind of service or amenity. Student unions, sports associations and student clubs lend themselves very much to the university in its marketing and educational goals. The university would be behind its competition if all it could say in its marketing was, "We provide classes... and if you get upset we have counsellors. There is nothing else to do on campus except study." Students would look at another university who was saying, "We provide classes and when you're not in class we have clubs and societies where you can meet other interesting students and do things that are fun and exciting. Many of our graduates keep in contact with the networks they establish at university as friends or business partners."
This is the campus culture argument. For VSU, there are things like the self-interest argument (why should I pay for things I don't use), the responsible management argument (student unions waste money), the anti-political argument (student unions spend money on political campaigns) and the freedom of association argument. The self-interest argument is knocked down by the taxation argument (let's stop paying for hospitals because we don't get sick) and the anti-political argument is challenged by the fact that student representatives are elected.
The responsible management argument crops up from time to time because student reps waste money or are corrupt, as if that never happens in big business, government or universities.
The freedom of association argument is also flawed because VSU legislation did not cover all institutions in higher education and requiring students to be members of a student organisation is not the same thing as charging a compulsory non-academic fee. For example, a services and amenities fee could be used to provide services and amenities completely independent of any student association.
For me it boils down to a matter of whether the university is expected to be a mere degree shop or if there is supposed to be life outside the classroom. If it is the former, then we should give up our student unions, sports associations, counselling, health, disability and volunteering services and spend all of the money on books and online lecture slides.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
From VSU to SSF
Friday, September 12, 2008
"We Hate Elections Too"
"We Hate Elections Too" was displayed on an Independent Media placard as their campaigners danced around campus yesterday on the last day of elections.
I'm glad it's over.
The Young Liberals (Liberals, Yes and Energize) worked hard all week to disrupt the election in favour of their 'Yes' ticket and its promises, most of which related to organisations or businesses which are not owned or controlled by the student union.
The Labor Right (Voice) seemed to die off as the week went on.
The incumbent Stand Up! faction seems poised to win the elections.
Activate made some waves on the left, contesting Stand Up! for president and Independent Media for Farrago. Do you really want a bunch of hippies and squatters editing your student paper? Didn't think so.
Socialist Alternative (Left Student Unionists) seemed to get into fights with Young Liberals a lot.
What has the Returning Officer been up to?
Ruling 1. The Returning Officer, after receiving complaints from Activate, forces Independent Media to not use 'IndyMedia' and the Independent Media campaigners went around for the rest of the week with 'ie' badges covering the 'y' on their t-shirts.
Ruling 2. Activate take another stab at Independent Media, trying to neutralise their test edition. This is dismissed.
Ruling 3. Tickets should share poster space.
Ruling 4. Activate attacks Independent Media for not using recycled paper in their test edition. Independent Media are forced to surrender 200 copies of their test edition for recycling.
Ruling 5. Independent Media retaliates against Activate for using a non-student and professional graphic designer in the production of their test edition. Activate confirm that this was the case and the RO gives them the benefit of the doubt with respect to the electoral regulations.
Ruling 6. Young Liberal, Alex Cambria, is suspended from campaigning for harassment.
Ruling 7. Samuel Flewett, SA(LSU), is suspended from campaigning for fighting with a Young Liberal (Yes) campaigner.
Ruling 8. The RO decides that there is no difference between a volunteer and an intern and the "clearly selective" presention of the facts is not necessarily misleading or deceiving.
This summarises the tension in the elections.
But everyone is glad to be done with it.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Candidate Statements!
Candidate policy statements for the upcoming UMSU elections (Sept. 8-12) are out. There's the wacky, the jovial and the more moderately sane. It's hard to stand out in such a pile of 'vibrant and inclusive' or 'radical and progressive' or 'FREE MARKETS!' But here are some of the greater gems coming out of this round of student political-hopefuls. "NATALIE TAVASSOLI (STOP 2AM LOCKOUT, STOP ALCOPOPS TAX)
Can you say feeder ticket?
Hey I’m Nat, and this year I’ve decided to run for president to stop the 2am lockout which is ruining Melbourne’s nightlife. In my role as president of the student union, I will lobby the government non-stop until this disgraceful law is repealed, and students are free to go out without being locked out of their favourite venue.""CHRIS LEWIS (YES!)
This is not true. If it were, the union would barely have noticed VSU since pre-VSU budgets were not much bigger than $10mil.
Each year the student union receives over $10 million from the uni itself.""ADAM MCKEE & ANDREW KEMP (LIBERAL)...
With an attitude like that, they're sure to win the Environment office.
1. Reduce carbon emissions by riding a whale to work instead. On the way, harpoon an environmentalist.""ROSALIE DELANEY, MARK A. PEART, MAX KAISER & LORENA SOLIN (ACTIVATE)...
None of these candidates were Arts Officers. To say that they want to make Farrago both a radical magazine but not to turn it into cover-to-cover partisan propaganda that is never allowed to be detrimental to student unionism is a contradiction. Rosalie Delaney, however, has been doing well recently and won an appeal to overturn the conviction for her role in the G20 protests.
We’re a welcoming and inclusive bunch as seen in the vibrant Arts Department we’ve run this year. Farrago has been a radical magazine in the past, and we want to reinstate its role as an engaged and enlightening publication...
...no one wants to see Farrago turn into a cover-to-cover partisan propaganda arm. But we do want a magazine that engages with the student community holistically rather than patronising it with inaccessible in-jokes and arrogant, divisive tirades that besides offending people are irrelevant, and even detrimental, to student culture and unionism.""GILLIAN KILBY, BHAKTHI PUVANENTHIRAN, ZOE-ZORA SANDERS & YOSHUA WAKEHAM (INDEPENDENT MEDIA) ...
That is to say, independence from ideologies other than that of media independence. It only forms paradoxes if you're a postmodernist.
Of the parties vying to run Farrago, only Independent Media has an unwavering commitment to genuine political and ideological independence."
