So the NDA happened and wasn't as bad as it could have been; in fact, it was actually quite good.
I Olivia, take thee, Rupert, to be my legally-wedded husband, to have and to hold you whenever a government official is nearby, for better or more likely for worse, for richer or more likely for poorer, in sickness and in health, to support, witness and co-sign all Centrelink applications, until graduation do us part, and be thankful we figured out how to work the system.
So, there is a National Day of Action next week. It is, as usual, demanding a shopping list, which I will proceed to critique in order.
1. NO FULL FEES: Over 60 undergraduate degrees now cost over $100, 000. Universities can now offer unlimited full-fee places. We demand that the government abolish this inequitable, user-pays system in favor of more accessible education.Full fees are an important part of the income of Australian universities. To take it away without replacing it with adequate commonwealth funding is ridiculous. Besides, the government is already phasing these out and universities are already moving into a more defensive stance. Has anyone seen the size of lectures lately?
2. SCRAP VSU: Hundreds of vital student services have been destroyed or at risk because of anti-student organization legislation. Make sure that you have a voice, and that your campus is more than a degree factory – demand the Government scrap Voluntary Student Unionism.While I'm not a big fan of VSU, I don't think that the anti-VSU campaign has been built well. The average student isn't seeing their troubles tying into VSU - they probably don't use any of these services anyway. Student services are designed to help the disadvantaged which makes them, more or less by definition, 'unpopular'. (By this I mean they appeal to a small 'market' of students)
3. DECREASE HECS: Australian students now pay the second highest fees in the OECD after the 2007 25% increase. Students graduate with crippling levels of debt, up by 1100% since the 1990s. We demand that the government reduce HECS to more equitable levels.Good luck.
4. END STUDENT POVERTY: 1 in 8 students miss a meal regularly because of lack of money. 1 in 2 students report that their studies are adversely affected by financial stress, and over a third of students work more than twenty hours a week. We demand that the government make Youth Allowance, AusStudy and Abstudy fair and accessible.This is a good point. Unfortunately, NUS leaves the best till last where it can be ignored easily. It is also unlikely to be successful, given that the government isn't exactly showering education and youth with money right now. Still, I suppose it is good to raise the point.
The Australian reports on responses to the Arts cuts from student and staff organisations: "ABOUT 50 Melbourne University students protesting against academic staff cuts at the arts faculty yesterday [May 12] invaded a building in an attempt to disrupt a university council meeting, trying at one stage to break through security guards blocking a liftwell." First-hand reports tell that rally sat down outside the council chamber during the meeting and held their own, boring the security guards with their commitment to the procedures of consensus decision making.
The latest Honi Soit also tells of some [from a distance] rather amusing election shenanigans. There are now only 6 candidates in the running for Union Board. The Liberal candidate is behaving erratically, after trying to hide her endorsement by the Liberals. As Honi wonders, "Maybe
even the Liberals know that being a Liberal is electoral poison?" A UNSW candidate has also been caught ripping off the policy statement of a USyd candidate on Facebook.
On a non-amusing side of things, one USyd candidate has received death threats.
Which goes to show how nasty student factional politics can get. Student political factions also manage to translate well into federal political factions. The Liberals are whacky. Labor is split between left and right. Independents run with varying success and Socialist Alternative manages to get something occasionally. There is a degree of enmity between all of these factions that can create a whole lot of unpleasantness. Shameless maneouvring and politicking can also do damage within factions.
It's quite a lot to consider and it is good to see a student newspaper covering their elections, which are going to do a lot to determine what campus life is like - who edits the newspaper, the number and nature of protests and the overall political tone.
The University of Sydney land-grab shuts down a mental health institution Rozelle Hospital, reports Honi Soit.
The University of Manchester Vice-Chancellor Alan Gilbert (former University of Melbourne VC) has responded to criticism in Student Direct. The Reclaim the Uni pressure group has staged protests, including an occupation and disrupting a meeting.
Today, there was a banner drop: "Arts: Going Cheap (Discounts not applicable to students)". I also have finally managed to figure out the 'peekaboo' code for this weblog in a way that allows for a post to be hidden. After burning the template up a couple of times, I found Web Basics and some working code. Hooray for copy and paste code tutorials.
