– Dorothy – 11/12/98
Why has the Government made membership of Students’ Associations voluntary and put an embargo on validating payment from student loans for Students’ Association fees? Is it another case of trying to silence its critics?
The Students’ Association is the voice of the students. Is this another Government attempt to silence a critic such as we saw with the cutting of funds to the umbrella associations for social services and volunteer groups?
(read this article)
Darel Hall, President of the Canterbury Students’ Association, believes that the students’ critiques of Government policy are fair and based on factual evidence, which should make the Government willing to accept the Students’ Association’s comments.
What is funded by the Students’ Association fee? The fee pays the costs of the education office which organises the system of class representatives and so gives some quality assurance in the courses. This is a valuable check on the standard of teaching and organisation in the tertiary system on which the Government spends huge sums of money.
Student Job Search, which provides work opportunities and therefore assists students to meet many of their own expenses, is also funded from the fee.
Student groups receive some support from the fee in the form of professional advice, grants, and a subsidy on newsletter costs. Other expenses are met for special needs, such as aerogrammes for members of Amnesty International to write letters to the relevant authorities protesting about people unjustly incarcerated around the world.
Entertainment is subsidised for Orientation Week, festivals such as the Healthy Lifestyles Week, and steins.
The wider relevance of the Students’ Association Through its activities and through the clubs the Students’ Association offers students the chance to grow as people. The experience of being a leader or being part of the group activities and of exchanging ideas in worthwhile discussion gives the type of training that fits graduates for employment in the wider community. Employers don’t want to employ those who have gained only academic skills while at university.
Membership made voluntary In August the Government passed a bill making membership of the Students’ Associations voluntary. Many students who are seriously strapped for cash and prevented from paying the membership fee from their student loan may opt to give up membership. This could cause serious financial problems for Students’ Associations.
Financial support from some tertiary institutions Canterbury and Lincoln Universities and the Christchurch Polytechnic have shown how much they value the work of the Students’ Association and moved to protect them against this situation. They have funded most of the Students’ Associations’ costs out of their budgets to retain this valuable service to students. The Students’ Association fee has been scrapped in these institutions.
Students’ Association still a good training ground for students The students retain control of the organisation through its democratic structure. It will require skilled financial management by the students to support the activities not funded by the University or the Polytechnic. But students are well practised in operating on a shoestring budget, so this should be well within their capabilities.
What is the situation for the Students’ Associations in other tertiary institutions? Please use the Backchat facility to let readers know what happens there.
