VUWSA Rep Groups

In the latest VUWSA President’s column, I had to chuckle at the list of rep, groups and how each is compulsory – you are represented by then, if you like it or not:

• The Victoria University Post-Graduate Students’ Association (PGSA), representing all post-graduate students;
• The Victoria University of Wellington Law Students’ Society Incorporated (LSS), representing all law students;
• STUDIO, representing all students in the faculty of Architecture and Design;
• Mature Students Network (MSN), representing all mature students;
• UniQ, representing gay, lesbian, bisexual, transsexual, transgender, and intersex students;
• International Students Council (ISC), representing all international students;
• VicComm, representing all commerce and administration students;
• Pasifika Council, representing all Pacific Island students;
• Can-Do, representing all students with disabilities;
• Crèche Parents Committee, representing all student users of the university crèche.

The good news is that if you are a mature post-graduate law and commerce student who is gay, has a disability, are from the Pacific, and you have a kid at the creche, then you have a total of nine different groups who all represent you. What do you do if they disagree with each other?

Of course instead of claiming those groups represent *all* students in their areas, one could just say they represent all students who actually join them.