Thank you to those students who responded to our request for feedback.
The Massey Students Services Levy comments had some clear indications of what students expect. One of the underlying issues I see here is a lack of understanding as to what the levy pays for. The paper that will go to the university, Student Service Levy Priorities, can be found at the link at the top of this page. Among other priorities, I will push hard for standards in Stream sites that ensure all papers have the option of electronic assignment submission.
Of particular note is the resentment some students feel in contributing to services that support those who need help. The raw comments have been supplied to Massey as well as our formal submission but the system of a universal levy supporting students in need will not change. In fact, if the membership of student associations becomes voluntary there is the possibility that some of the SA services, like independent advocacy, will need to be funded through the university levy.
There will be no return from legislative change to SA membership
This brings us to the feedback on universal vs voluntary student association membership. The initial comments on this issue were aggressive and unpleasant. A core group of very active anti-union students voiced their concerns. I can fully respect their point of view but I will continue to advocate for an education system that is designed to support all students with a suite of services that do not attract additional cost. This means that if you are struggling financially the services available to you are the same as for a student who could pay for additional learning support. I believe this should apply to student associations and the student services levy alike. EXMSS is political in that it advocates for open entry into university, support for part time students and distance study, but most of our work is in providing services, like the supershuttle and the Off Campus magazine, and working with the University on academic committees and with management to ensure the needs of students are understood and responded too. Without universal membership the University will have to engage with a multitude of different student groups, all of which will have differing opinions and priorities. These student groups will not have the capability of funding a person to represent them in a professional and well informed manner. The only way that Massey will get the professional and informed discussion they currently enjoy will be to fund it. This will be done through a levy. The other option Massey has is to have very little professional engagement with students. With a vocal group of students saying they don’t want to pay for universal representation this may lead to no independant student voice in the system. So when Massey suggests there should be a cost to remarking assignments it will simply happen (This idea was quashed in 2009).
What I hope will be appreciated is the work SA’s do to ensure the University is aware and responsive to student needs. It does not matter if this comes in the form of Massey developing a network of engagement or simply relying on student associations, the important thing is for the student body to have an effective voice in the system.
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