USyd Students - the VSU Era - What will you do? (4 Viewers)

[ujuphleg]

Next year, the nature of our Student Union is changing... what will you do?

For those of you who don't know about the changes please read on to get some idea. For those of you who do know about VSU, please read on anyway to have a look at the chronology of events so far. Read on for a politically neutral tale regarding the current state of our student associations!



In the past, students were required to pay compulsory subscriptions each year, with the university distributing the money between the three student associations – the Union, the Sports Union and the SRC. The amount allocated to each student organisation can be found here.

These organisations existed (and continue to exist) to provide the following:

University of Sydney Union
The USU looks after much of the on-campus catering, clubs and societies, debating, entertainment and other social and cultural programs. For more information about USU, please go to www.usuonline.com.

Sydney University Sports
SUS (formerly the Sports Union) runs the University's representative, social and faculty sports programs. SUS also runs the campus gyms and the swimming pool. For more information, please go to www.susport.com.

Student Representative Council
The SRC is the representative body of undergraduates and help their members with academic appeals and other representative matters. They also offer no interest short term loans and advice on a range of welfare issues. For more information please go to www.src.usyd.edu.au.

Source


Prior to 2005, no matter a student’s position with respect to each student organisation, all were required to pay the student subscriptions in order to provide for the student body as a whole. Such was life under USU – universal student unionism.

On the 9th of December 2005, the Federal Government passeed the Higher Education Support Amendment (Abolition of Compulsory Up-front Student Union Fees) Act 2005

The implication of this legislation means that students are no longer required to pay the subscription fees. On the threat of financial penalties tied to their funding, the universities will shift to a voluntary system – this is known as voluntary student unionism (VSU). Under VSU, all students have the option of deciding whether they will support the student associations, and whether or not they will be selective in their support.

Both the student associations and the university reacted to this development with dismay – the student associations feared for their livelihood and the students dependent on their services, and the university feared that it would be burdened with the cost of supplying the essential services and that the holistic university experience would suffer as a result the changes.


As such, the student associations have restructured their operations (An example can be found on pages 17 & 18 of Honi Soit, Issue 17, 2006), and the university has recently approved a services package designed to assist the student organisations over the next three years (See here and here for more information)– despite its misgivings, the university clearly regards the package as being necessary.

Opinions as to the benefits of VSU and USU have been debated at length. An examples of these are as follows:

Because of the passage of Voluntary Student Unionism (VSU) legislation, this is the last year that the University can ask you to pay compulsory subscriptions when you enrol. Before you start counting the money you’re going to save, it’s worth thinking about what you’re going to lose from your university experience.

The current system - Universal Student Unionism – provides funding for the SRC, the Union, and SU Sport (i.e. all the best things on campus!). Over 200 clubs & societies fund their events through the Union, there are parties during semester, bands playing at lunchtimes, weekly student publications, sporting facilities, and subsidised food. You probably don’t realise just how often you’re going to use your student organisations. Even the buildings on campus where you might eat lunch or play pool are provided by the Union (Manning, Holme and Wentworth buildings).

Membership of the SRC, for example, can prove invaluable (even if you weren’t expecting it). If you fail a course and need help with an academic appeal, the SRC employs staff for that. Having trouble applying for youth allowance? Run out of money and need an emergency interest-free loan? What about free legal advice? The SRC does all of this. The most common argument in favour of VSU is that students should be able to just pay for the services they use. The problem is without everyone paying their fees, these services will be forced to close and you won’t be able to access them at all. There’s conclusive proof from Western Australia that it’s often too late when students choose to use their representative organisations. WA had VSU from 1994–2002 and many services were cut at all of the universities. The guild at Edith Cowan University went into liquidation.

So, why aren’t these services replaced and provided by someone else? It’s because student organisations are not-for-profit. For example, if the Union didn’t provide childcare centres on campus, students wouldn’t be able to get subsidised rates. There’s no incentive for private companies to do that. The University isn’t the solution either – there’s a clear conflict of interest if you have to get help from the university in appealing against a decision they’ve made, or if you want to protest the fact that the university is closing your faculty (e.g. Nursing in 2004).

A comparison is often made to council rates. Everyone pays their rates so that the council can provide services to the community. Our university is another type of community. Globally, Australia has become an exception to the rule on student unionism with universities in America, Britain, and the rest of the OECD, still charging compulsory membership fees.

Student control of student affairs is an important principle that student organisations are run on. It means that you’re involved in how your fees are being spent. You can vote or run in elections for the SRC and Union Board Directors and, even if you’re not an elected representative, you can get involved in the SRC through its collectives (e.g. Education, Women’s, Queer, Anti-Racism etc.) or the Union through its committee structure. The SRC is always working to fight racism, sexism and homophobia on campus, and to make education more accessible. Universal membership gives all students a voice and makes sure that services remain relevant - after all, students are in the best position to know what they need. Ultimately, this should be about whether or not students want VSU. But we weren’t asked. Students originally voted to introduce compulsory fees and the thousands of students that turned out to rallies against VSU last year clearly demonstrated that they wanted to keep them.

Enjoy the last year of universal student unionism and fight to save our student organisations!

and

VSU, on a most basic level, is about giving students the freedom to choose whether or not they wish to fund services on campus which are unrelated to their education, as is stated in the bill, and it is supported by myself because I believe that university should be firstly about education, and any supplementary services should be strictly optional. Arguments about campus culture being decimated, essential services being destroyed, and the removal of student advocacy are greatly exaggerated, and overplayed
Campus culture could perhaps mean parties at Manning, which if students decide that they enjoy other venues better then it's their prerogative to attend them, and not be forced to pay for both their own night out off campus, and someone else's on campus. It could mean clubs and socs, but these represent under 5% of the Union's total expenditure, and could fund these several times over just from sponsorship.
'Essential' services such as subsidising child care which is used 85% of the time by Union employees, and the rest of the time by mothers who should've thought about the impact upon their university before having children, or Queer and Women's spaces which are actually laughed at (in my personal experience) by the vast majority of the groups they are created for, are really just a waste of money.
Student advocacy can easily be carried out without any funding, because protesting is essentially dead, and from my personal experience just talking to lecturers can tend to get improvements to courses where they are needed (such as when I emailed my lecturer about there being too few tutors, and the next week he came in himself and helped us with our labs).
All in all I'm proud that, because of 30 years of campaigning by an organisation that I'm heavily involved in, 90% of students are now taking a choice that was not previously offered to them by telling the university that no, they don't want their money going to corrupt, wasteful student organisations.

With the application of the legislation from July 1st 2006, such debates are now largely academic. The fact of the matter is that VSU has been introduced and the student associations face a future without the security provided by an ongoing funding stream. Students, meanwhile, are faced with a number of choices, choices that will determine the nature of the student associations and student life under VSU.

So, USyd students, now that the option is before you, what will you do? Are you likely to support each organisation? Will you be more selective? Are you opposed to the student associations in their entirety? Are you still undecided?


Many thanks go to Generator for his invaluable contribution to the creation of this thread, as well as to greeninsanity and withoutaface for their student perspectives.

 

[lengy]

I like the Access cards... but if I don't have a spare $500 lying around at the time I'm not likely to pay. I kinda want to though.

 

[tlodg]

Thanks Susan for the information.
I had some idea of what happened, but wasn't clear.

 

[ujuphleg]

Thank Generator, he helped with heaps (almost all) of it too

 

[Sarah168]

What does it mean to to pay "some of the fees"? Does this mean you pay fees for the clubs you want to join or other services or is there an option to pay half the full $500 or something?

 

[ujuphleg]

What does it mean to to pay "some of the fees"? Does this mean you pay fees for the clubs you want to join or other services or is there an option to pay half the full $500 or something?

It means that you might support the SRC but not the Sports Union or vice versa. Or you might give $100 because you can afford that but not the full $500 etc.

 

[tlodg]

hey, if we paid the full union fees this year does that mean we are automatically a member of SUS so we can access the Sports and Aquatic Centre (Darlington) with members' rate?

 

[Liberal Scum]

Membership of the SRC, for example, can prove invaluable (even if you weren’t expecting it). If you fail a course and need help with an academic appeal, the SRC employs staff for this.

Except most students who fail subjects deserved to, and the rest will be able to point out the error in marking (as all of my lecturers have been prepared to show me my exams, I'd presume the rest of the uni would be similar).

Having trouble applying for youth allowance?

Centrelink website.

Run out of money and need an emergency interest-free loan?

The size of loans offered by the SRC isn't that huge, and the repayment window is short, so interest would be negligable if you took them out with another lender.

What about free legal advice?

www.legalaid.nsw.gov.au

The SRC does all of this. The most common argument in favour of VSU is that students should be able to just pay for the services they use. The problem is without everyone paying their fees, these services will be forced to close and you won’t be able to access them at all. There’s conclusive proof from Western Australia that it’s often too late when students choose to use their representative organisations. WA had VSU from 1994–2002 and many services were cut at all of the universities.

Which services? Were they important? How about the new services that started post VSU (I know that they did).

The guild at Edith Cowan University went into liquidation.

That's because 96% of students decided the Guild was too shit to even spend $100 on it. That's a pretty strong statement, I'd think.

So, why aren’t these services replaced and provided by someone else? It’s because student organisations are not-for-profit. For example, if the Union didn’t provide childcare centres on campus, students wouldn’t be able to get subsidised rates.

Why should students who make an active decision to have a child, and receive several financial bonuses from the government already, get subsidies from students who have more rational family planning skills? How about the 85% of subsidised childcare that's used by Union staff? Is this not a massive waste of money?

There’s no incentive for private companies to do that. The University isn’t the solution either – there’s a clear conflict of interest if you have to get help from the university in appealing against a decision they’ve made, or if you want to protest the fact that the university is closing your faculty (e.g. Nursing in 2004).

You could make a real statement by mobilising your peers to up and leave, but it seems Karoline and the rest are still at USyd, despite how inherently evil it is.

A comparison is often made to council rates. Everyone pays their rates so that the council can provide services to the community. Our university is another type of community. Globally, Australia has become an exception to the rule on student unionism with universities in America, Britain, and the rest of the OECD, still charging compulsory membership fees.

America and Britain are also upfront full fee, and have better unis than Australia. What's your point?

Student control of student affairs is an important principle that student organisations are run on. It means that you’re involved in how your fees are being spent. You can vote or run in elections for the SRC and Union Board Directors and, even if you’re not an elected representative, you can get involved in the SRC through its collectives (e.g. Education, Women’s, Queer, Anti-Racism etc.) or the Union through its committee structure.

Yeah, and maybe 0.5% are actually involved. The rest don't care, and would prefer a more direct control over how their fees are spent (i.e. userpays).

The SRC is always working to fight racism, sexism and homophobia on campus,

You mean by usurping the democratic process of union elections through affirmative action? Or by employing officers to imply that men are inherently violent, chauvanist animals, and that all heterosexual sex is rape?

and to make education more accessible. Universal membership gives all students a voice and makes sure that services remain relevant - after all, students are in the best position to know what they need.

I think you'd find the relevance to the queer space, even to most homosexuals on campus, is minimal to zero. Same deal with the women's room, most girls I know would never walk in there because they're freaked out by the feminists (funny, when it's supposed to be a 'safe' space, isn't it?)

Ultimately, this should be about whether or not students want VSU. But we weren’t asked.

Tyranny of the majority is still tyranny. And besides 90% of semester 2 arrivals didn't pay fees, what does that say about student support for VSU?

Students originally voted to introduce compulsory fees and the thousands of students that turned out to rallies against VSU last year clearly demonstrated that they wanted to keep them.

Probably less than 10% of the student population attended one rally or more. Half of those probably went there for the free bbq. The vast majority of the rest had probably never heard the other side of the argument.

 

[RanyofuKenyan?]

what the cunt.


stop picking arguments, waf. that post is from another thread :S:S:S

 

[RanyofuKenyan?]

to be honest, i didn't read the original greeninsanity post, nor his reply.

 

[ujuphleg]

what the cunt.


stop picking arguments, waf. that post is from another thread :S:S:S

No actually it isn't from another thread, its a direct statement which I requested seperately from Steph and Justin.

Steph is free to pick at Justin's argument too, if she so wishes.

 

[RanyofuKenyan?]

No actually it isn't from another thread, its a direct statement which I requested seperately from Steph and Justin.

Steph is free to pick at Justin's argument too, if she so wishes.

well sorrrrrrrrrrrry.

Why wasn't I consulted, I would've made a much more pithy and interesting comment.


eg. VSU KILLZ QUEERZ

 

[ujuphleg]

Because you aren't a "political heavyweight".

I would much rather just hear what you have to say about VSU now dear, as opposed to the NEEDLESS SPAM you guys always seem to manage to generate.

Please, guys as much as I like whacking my mod stick around try not to turn each and every thread into a conversation/extended flirtation/ pick up forum/ whatever. It's pretty obvious this thread is meant to be serious ya?

Do it in the chatter thread if you must.

 

[Liberal Scum]

san says:
anyways i gotta go, work tommorow etc. and i'm stil getting over my flu. i like my sleep
Susan says:
thanks again for all your help & perspectives.
{Justin}{FREEDOM OF SPEECH=RACISM! (apparently)} says:
no probs
{Justin}{FREEDOM OF SPEECH=RACISM! (apparently)} says:
night
Susan says:
goodnight!


YOU LIED TO ME SUSAN! </3

 

[RanyofuKenyan?]

lol, I'm a member of the Young Libs.

I just choose to rarely express my political viewpoints.

 

[ujuphleg]

Yeah I know. I'm sorry (my boyfriend called)

I am going to bed now though...I can't help it if BoS is addictive

Goodnight! :wave:

 

[KeypadSDM]

God, I love that comment.

Nuh DUH!!!! What they mean is that "Students" know what's best for "students". Where "Students" are people who have pictures on pamphlets for half the year, and "students" are the rest of us saps. Gosh, it's so obvious.

<3 VSU.

 

[lengy]

The question is, will there still be parties attempting to coerce students into joining their cause? Will there still be protests? Will there still be people trying to hand me useless pamphlets? I think so.

 

[volition]

Go VSU! Not that I go to Sydney uni anyway

 

[Generator]

Though I'm in favour of USU (if at a lower price), I'm going to be a hypocrite next year and only support the SRC and the Union - though the services provided by the Sports Union are probably of some import, I'm more concerned with the general welfare of the student body and the services provided by the SRC and the Union.

Edit: Thanks again to ujuphleg for organising and creating this thread .