Well done UCSA

Because I support voluntary membership of student associations, and because I have highlighted the muppets at VUWSA, some people conclude I am anti student association.  Far from it.

Today in the Press we have a good example of a student association doing something useful.  UCSA narrowly persuaded the Canterbury University Council to reject the Vice-Chancellor’s proposal to increase fees by 4.5% and by 9-8 they went for a CPI increase of 3.3% only.

Having served as a student rep on the Otago University Council, let me tell you that it is bloody rare to win a vote on Council, and even rarer to do it against the wishes of the Vice-Chancellor.

I suspect UCSA did a professional job of putting together a well researched case, lobbying  individual Council members, forming coalitions with allied interests etc, and their work paid off and they have saved students $575,000.

I imagine that UCSA has not been spending a lot of time debating whether Hamas or Fatah is the legitimate Government of Palestine.

If membership was voluntary and I was studying at Canterbury I would probably happily pay an $80 fee (yes I know it is zero but that is a different issue).  But if I was studying at Vic, would I pay $120 to VUWSA if I had a choice?  Certainly not on current efforts.