Dom Post on VSM
The Dom Post editorial:
Whitireia Independent Students’ Association is not the first student association to have trouble administering the fees it collects.
However, with $1 million missing from the association’s funds, it will add impetus to the campaign to make students’ associations truly voluntary.
Good. There needs to be a good reason to take money from people compulsorily – and when it is, the money must be managed to the highest of standards. At Whitireia neither has been the case.
And I hold Parliament responsible. They have given the powers of compulsion, without any requirements for accountability.
Students attending Whitireia do not have to be members of their association, but the system is set up to make it hard for them not to be. They automatically join when they enrol but, according to the association website, “should you not want to be a member and require a full refund, you must opt out within 20 days from the commencement of your course of study”. So few do that the association has an income of about $350,000 a year, income that it and Whitireia Community Polytechnic, which handed over money despite doubts, have proved unable to administer satisfactorily.
This is better than at most institutions, but still no substitute for a proper voluntary opt in regime.
Most students could no doubt find a better use for the $135 that fulltime students pay than providing an involuntary subsidy for pool players.
And even if the services it was offering were essential, it is clear that the association, like others before it, lacks the professionalism needed to manage the funds it is given, and the delivery. No organisation is exempt from fraud, but there have been too many instances in students’ associations of mismanagement of funds.
There are some associations, such as OUSA and UCSA, which have a history of good management and value for money. But the overall prevalence of fraud in student associations seems massively higher than most other sectors. There are less than 50 such associations, and the number which have had fraud is in the range of 10% to 20% I would say.
Students attending tertiary institutions do need non-academic services such as health clinics and cafeterias. It makes more sense for those essential services to be provided through a student services levy administered by the institution. That would leave student associations to provide optional extras, such as student newspapers and wall planners – and students to decide whether they want those things enough to join up, and pay up.
Exactly. If a service is “essential” then the institution should provide it.
Hopefully Parliament will recognise the status quo is indefensible, and vote (with appropriate modifications) for student associations to become voluntary.
August 17th, 2010 at 12:11 pm
This looks a lot like my submission on VSU come to life.
Free money with no accoutnability in the hands of trainee politicians. In-freaken-sanity.
August 17th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
Genuine VSM on campus. Please. Make it so. I’ve been waiting far too long.
August 17th, 2010 at 12:28 pm
This is surely the final nail in the coffin of compulsory Unions.
This bat-shit insanity must come to an end.
August 17th, 2010 at 12:45 pm
Students attending tertiary institutions do need non-academic services such as health clinics and cafeterias.
What absolute nonsense from the Dom Post. A levy for cafeterias? What on earth for? So they can then offer cheap chips and discount diet coke? What socialist objective is served by that?
Here’s an idea: instead of taking money of anybody, students or taxpayers, to prop up a university tuck shop, have the shop run commercially. Last time I checked food at those places isn’t especially cheap anyway, so not much will change.
I suppose more people will argue a compulsory levy for health services is necessary, because health is allegedly special (or something), but that could be paid for with an opt-in insurance scheme, sans coercion.
August 17th, 2010 at 12:48 pm
“Students attending tertiary institutions do need non-academic services such as health clinics and cafeterias. It makes more sense for those essential services to be provided through a student services levy administered by the institution.’
I disagree that students need to be levied for these services at all. Cafeterias can be run on contract at no cost to the institution, or will tend to pop up around the institution if there isn’t a big student caf on campus.
As for medical services, the cost of the fee would cover a good many visits to a local doctor, providing the student enrolled at the practice. It also means the student can choose a doctor they think suits their needs – personality, competence, whatever – rather than being at the mercy of Student Health.
Counselling seems to be beloved of student organisations justifying their existence – but there’s little evidence that this works, which presumably is the reason it’s not subsidised or provided free as a public health service. ACC excepted, they got sucked in by the counsellors and the naturopaths – both are ACC funded.
Give students the choice – I had far too many years subsidising boozy parties and social events I didn’t attend, and a health service I wouldn’t use as a member of OUSA.
August 17th, 2010 at 12:56 pm
There are some associations, such as OUSA and UCSA, which have a history of good management and value for money.
Heck, even they have massive problems. I recall a few years ago OUSA didn’t even know how much money was in it’s building fund.
August 17th, 2010 at 1:05 pm
There are some associations, such as OUSA and UCSA, which have a history of good management and value for money.
Actually, DPF, most do. Not just some. Why dont you blog about them
[DPF: Because even if they do a good job, that is not reason to be compulsory. With that rationale hundreds of thousands of incorporated societies would be compulsory]
August 17th, 2010 at 1:07 pm
Random thought, Did Ex MP McClay ever hold office in a students assn during his studies to become such a prominent person in national (lowercase n) politics.
What a tragedy that honesty, integrity and trust have become tradeable commodities and compulsory student levies are available to compulsive crooks who will be among our future leaders.
August 17th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
We’ve been told that without compulsory fees we lose our shop. It has the single highest prices int he region, I’ve checked.
So what they are saying is that even with a monopoly and a captive market in the form of live in students they are not capable of turning a proffit. And we should trust them with hundreds of thousands of dollars because….
They’re also taking credt for many services that the insititution actually provides, not the unions.
August 17th, 2010 at 1:24 pm
It’s interesting to read through the submissions on the bill.
A large number are from organisations (rarely much to do with students) who get funding from associations, and want to protect it.
August 17th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
Re: essential services such as healthcare – making the institution pay still wouldn’t solve the problem. Obviously this money would still come from students one way or another anyway.
I did my degree at Otago Polytech, so was a member of OPSA for three years. I did one paper at Otago Uni and cross-credited it back, so had to pay to be a member of OUSA for six months too.
This meant that I was paying for two lots of healthcare (neither of which I used incidentally). The one that really annoyed me was the gym – OPSA and OUSA share a gym so I was paying twice to access the same gym (but if my non-student flatmate wanted to come with me he had to pay to get in).
I guess if essential services were tacked onto each paper’s fee then it might work – 5/6 of my costs would’ve gone through OP, 1/6 through OU. This would, however, punish the people who shoehorn 7 or 8 papers into a year…
August 17th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
Re: essential services such as healthcare – making the institution pay still wouldn’t solve the problem.
At Otago, the services you quote *are* provided by the university. OUSA has a part-ownership in the gym, but it’s through the *university* health and recreation fee that you pay for student health and the gym.
The key here is essential services. A great many “services” provided by associations are far from “essential”, and under voluntary associations would be forced to prioritise and stay within their means.
August 17th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
“…There needs to be a good reason to take money from people compulsorily – and when it is, the money must be managed to the highest of standards…”
Only good reason I can think of is if the thief is pointing a gun in your face. And then only if you are unarmed. But that’s just personal choice.
August 17th, 2010 at 1:35 pm
“people who shoehorn 7 or 8 papers into a year” ????
WTF, I do 9 every year. Not here just for the sake of getting older.
August 17th, 2010 at 1:38 pm
Love this submission:
Without universal membership, OUSA might not be able to afford to maintain its Queer Support services; it would not be able to afford to maintain a Queer Representative on its executive, losing the voice of a significant and traditionally repressed minority, a voice that we fought very hard to establish; and UniQ Otago would lose the framework upon which it is built.
Without the support that OUSA is able to provide through the fees it collects, many queer students will succumb to isolation and depression. Many will drop out of University without qualification, but still with a student loan to pay, which will further burden the State.
Translation: give us money or queer students will get all depressed and go on the dole.
Seriously, you can’t make this stuff up.
August 17th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
What essential services, other than those intrinsic to the University (like libraries and other infrastructure), wouldn’t be offered by private providers on or near campus anyway? I should think food suppliers would jump at the chance to sell to students who due to poor organisation failed to bring lunch. Gyms, health services and the like should need to be self-funding – in the sense that their economic model doesn’t rely on being propped up by forced contributions from people who don’t use them. Clubs and societies even more so, since they don’t have as many fixed costs.
About the only reason I can see for continuing compulsory membership is that it allows the students’ association to (somewhat legitimately) claim to represent all students at that institution. Useful, perhaps, when advocating for the student body. But completely useless if the association officers show themselves to be corrupt or incompetent, or otherwise make a spectacle of themselves.
August 17th, 2010 at 1:44 pm
@Murray – in my day (all of 4ish years ago…) 1EFTS was 6 papers (3 per semester), so I based my number on that. 9 would be 1.5EFTS, which is far more than the average (but doable)
August 17th, 2010 at 2:06 pm
Especially when four of them in one semester are 300 level and you celebrate the begining of the semester by spending two weeks in hospital Spoon. Very doable.
August 17th, 2010 at 2:10 pm
Here’s something funny.
VUWSA students voted to support the bill, yet their submission doesn’t, but it does include this clanger.
VUWSA advocacy is an essential service that ensures the University makes fair decisions and upholds its duty to educate its students. Without this service students can be treated exceptionally unfairly.
Gee, if it was voluntary, students might get treated unfairly!
Interesting that the submission doesn’t make the usual points about associations already being accountable to it’s members… I guess telling that lie would be a little too obvious.
August 17th, 2010 at 2:16 pm
“…There needs to be a good reason to take money from people compulsorily – and when it is, the money must be managed to the highest of standards…”
Hmmm – government, taxes, excessive travel, porn movies
August 17th, 2010 at 2:22 pm
The message that the union administration send usually conflict with that of the people they represent Scrub. You only have to look at the cluster fuck at victoria last year when they tried to manipulate a vote and got busted fundging their numbers.
Socialist wankers.
Conservatives are at uni to get a qaulification. the socialists go to become politicans and the study is just an inconvenience.
August 17th, 2010 at 2:45 pm
I am not sure – perhaps you could ask ex-Labour MP David Butcher for a comment.
August 19th, 2010 at 3:51 am
Dave – care to show us these gleaming examples of well run student unions?
Scrubone – I see OUSA have now eliminated their Queer officer position and are looking at leaving NZUSA. In fact their referendum has also eliminated many other exec positions, the left are spewing and are working hard smearing the current president as shes running for re-election right now.
September 30th, 2010 at 1:02 pm
Heather Roy will be speaking about the VSM at the ACT Wellington Regional Conference on October 10th at the Museum Hotel, Cable Street, Wellington. Also, Hilary Calvert will make her first public address as an MP and John Boscawen will speak about the latest Foreshore and Seabed bill. Only $30 (or $20 for students and unwaged). http://www.act.org.nz/files/Regional_Conference_Registration_2010.pdf