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VSU
July 20, 2005 · Print This Article
Voluntary Student Unionism
As you would be aware the government is keen to pass legislation about Voluntary Student Unionism, that will prevent Universities collecting a compulsory amenities fee from students. I imagine some of you are at uni and may feel the need to make your voice heard. So I thought I would create a space to share protest times and thoughts about this issue. Below is some of the issues taken from the Monash Postgraduate Association Inc on the issue. Find the full article here
Why saving on amenities fees is not as good as it sounds.
What do my postgraduate amenities fees currently fund?
Services and amenities vary across campuses, but can include: childcare, welfare, advice and advocacy, legal advice, social events, student representation, clubs and societies, student publications, student lounges, counselling, careers and employment, seminars and workshops, short courses, accommodation, sports and recreation and targeted support services for students in groups such as research, distance education, low-income, international, and women.
What does the MPA do with their share of postgraduate amenities fees?
The MPA receives approximately $36 per postgraduate, based on cross-campus figures. With this funding, the MPA provides postgraduate-specific services and activities across all six Victorian campuses, as well as at several off-campus locations……
What’s wrong with a user pays system?
Without a secure base income, many services would not be able to sustain operations and would close down completely. So to argue that students could pay to use the services when they wanted them, misses the point that when students needed a service (such as legal representation in a dispute, or childcare), the service may no longer be offered.
What will happen if the VSU legislation is passed?
Many of the services and activities offered by the MPA to postgraduates would be jeopardised. The MPA would be forced to charge individual postgraduates for every service and activity in which they took part. There would be no publications, no free lunches, no advice and advocacy. Without the ability to employ staff, even the basic functions of representation and communication would rely on the availability of postgraduate volunteers. The ability of postgraduates to influence and direct university policies and regulations, to lobby for improved conditions and to participate in the university decision making processes would be greatly diminished.
Want to respond?
Email your concerns
to: Dr Brendan Nelson, Minister for Education, Science and Training, via this online email site:http://www.dest.gov.au/ministers/nelson/contact.htm
Attend a local action at your uni.
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Comment on ‘vsu’
re: vsu
Posted by Dave on 2005-04-19 18:16:46
This has been on the cards for quite some time, since I started uni in ‘95. Its a mixed bag, from personal experience the Monash union is very badly run, full of people wasting money and employing people who really shouldn’t be there. I’ve also found that as a student at Monash you are paying for a lot of things that aren’t necessary, and then paying again for parking, and for food thats bad and overpricsed. Since 1999 I expected the union to shape up in the threat of losing people if this legislation came to pass. Certainly the majority of help from them comes via the elected students more than the paid employees. I also suspect the unions have been propping up the unis by providing services the uni itself should be. At my previous uni things weren’t quite so bad, but the only time I myself and others sought advocacy we were told “oh we are not getting along with them, so don’t want to stir more trouble.” The MPA tends to provide more support for international postgrads on campus (and possibly external) and has very little in touch with the majority of on campus Postgrads, we got a couple of free lunches (if it hadn’t run out!) and that was it.
My feelings are that the union is worried, and there may be the risk of losing services. On the other hand, recent scares of this have led to quite a few improvements at Monash..so I suspect it will tighten things up for the better. Forcing people to pay for an organisation they soon resent with no choice not to pay is never a good thing.
Reply to ‘re: vsu’
re: vsu
Posted by Age on 2005-04-20 18:23:25
I guess I would prefer that services and advocacy (education even) were free and provided by the Uni. And I agree that unions have been propping the uni up, but without unions filling these roles I can only see the services ending and fees/hecs increasing to provide for the shortfall. So for me it is like taxes that I am “forced to pay and resent the organisation‚Äů involved but still want the services provided to exist.
BTW I think I saw Monash Clayton has a VSU protest soon but I missed the details. Has anyone seen the details? Or is it a non-event?
Reply to ‘re: vsu’
re: vsu
Posted by Dave on 2005-04-22 13:57:09
I got an email…but forgot when it was..seeing as there were stickers everywhere I suspect it was yesterday. Advocacy is provided by the uni’s themselves, there are many people employed to do that. There are also positions for students on pretty much every committee (more than the union ppl can get onto). They generally have trouble getting students reps though cause noone wants to do it. My old uni provided many of the services that Monash union has done, the union was more of a different social role. I suspect most unions were like that when they started out, they just got too big and too much money and things went wrong. I suspect seeing as the unions are already in place they will still exist, especially if it means loss of services, ppl will support them. But I suspect they will be better run and back to what they should have been. Either way, the long standing food outlet problem at Monash has improved drastically. Nothing like students rebelling against their own union…and it paid off.
Reply to ‘re: vsu’
re: vsu
Posted by Dave on 2005-05-06 15:08:38
Anyone else have something to add….in an email last week from the VC it appears that they are supporting the student unions position at Monash…is this happening elsewhere?
Reply to ‘re: vsu’
re: vsu
Posted by Jason on 2005-05-22 23:57:09
All of the student unions at Monash’s campuses except for Caulfield are against the changes. This is because Caulfields student union is heavily aligned with the liberal party and believe anything they say!!! You won’t see any protest signs there unless they have been spray painted on!!! The loss of services will hit many of the student groups hard and i’ve heard that in many cases will halve their funding and many clubs and societies will dissolve. This will have a huge impact i believe on the community and culture of university. Education at university does not only come from formal lectures given by academics.
Students at unis in Vic already have the option to not be a member of the student union. In this instance they will still pay the same amount in fees however their fees will go to non-academic uni services and not the student union. The union cannot discriminate because of this.
In the way of upcoming protests Monash Clayton are having a strike against VSU on the 18th July 05 so if anyone is passionate about this go for it!!!