Extramural President's Blog » Benefits

EXMSS StudentCard and Membership Subscriptions

ralph — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:01:29 +0000

The members of EXMSS have agreed that the changes proposed in our SGM should go ahead. As well as being able to introduce a subscription fee of $15 for membership there will be a re-balancing of the executive roles so that the workload is spread and risks reduced.

The $15 subscription for full members and $10 sub for associate members will be introduced alongside an optional StudentCard. The StudentCard, normally $20 can be added to membership for $15, making the membership plus student card $30. We see this as excellent value with EXMSS providing advocacy, information, representation, scholarships, and discount travel and the StudentCard providing discounts all over NZ for anything from movies to pizza.

The problem is Massey University has not yet agreed to collect the subscriptions on our behalf. The Education Act requires them to do so if we request it, but also states that they may recover costs. With our subs being so low any fee may make the administration costs an unpleasant tax on students. EXMSS does not want students to waste their money paying for admin services.

We have been pushing to have this conversation with Massey since the beginning of the year but have struggled to reach a conclusion. I have been told by the Massey IT services that we have until the end of June to decide how subs will work. Until then EXMSS is not willing to start charging subs or release the StudentCard at a discount rate.

EXMSS will restructure its executive and make the StudentCard available at $20 for any student while it waits for Massey to make this key decision: a decision which the future shape of EXMSS depends on.

Membership Subs and Membership Benefits

ralph — Tue, 08 May 2012 00:50:31 +0000

Through our SGM we have recieved support for several important changes: introducing a subscription for membership, opening associate membership to the public, changing the structure of our executive to relflect the new and reduced size of EXMSS.

Following these changes some practical issues need to be resolved. We will arrange for membership subscriptions to be payable through our website, we will make the Student Card a benefit of membership, and we will organise for Massey to collect subs on our behalf through the enrolment process. Additionally EXMSS continues to work with other Massey student associations to develop a partnership in all-student service delivery.

EXMSS wishes to remain involved in delivering services to all students but would like to have that part of its business (which is funded through a service agreement with the University) to be financially separated from its society business. That way the mission of the Society, to advocate for distance, part time, and adult students, is not clouded by a service delivery operation aimed at all Massey students.

So discussions continue with Massey about subscription collection, and with Massey SA’s about shared delivery of services, and I continue to stress that these things must now progress quickly if we are to be ready for 2013. You can be assured that EXMSS continues on the path set out prior to the changes in membership rules but there are several parties involved and we must all reach agreement on subscription issues before we can move forward.

Free Membership: get benefits and support the student voice

ralph — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 08:29:13 +0000

For the first few months of 2012 membership of EXMSS will be free! If you are enrolled for 2012 I advise you to join EXMSS now. Membership is for the academic year.

EXMSS has been preparing for this transition and has funds to cover the shortfall in 2012. Membership benefits include a super-cheap shuttle service to and from the Manawatu campus, insider knowledge, through the e-zine Off Campus, about what’s going on in the tertiary sector and behind the screens at Massey, access to high-level advocacy support, and the EXMSS scholarships, plus other giveaways.

Become part of the EXMSS community

Members are also supporting a student voice that raises the concerns of distance, part-time and adult students at national level and within Massey. These students, particularly part-timers, are singled out as underachievers by the Government and that needs to stop. Massey is caught in the middle and has effectively been forced to reduce its distant student numbers or risk millions in government funding. All because the Government doesn’t get the role part time study has in our society.

Services delivered to all students will eventually be delivered independently of EXMSS, although during the 2012 transition period some may still be managed by EXMSS.

I am pleased to say that EXMSS has a clear strategic plan, clarity about the services it wishes to provide to its members and good strategies for providing an independent voice for distance and part time students. The first EXMSS media release is taking shape and the details of the great deal in shuttle services will soon emerge. Stay connected and stay strong!

Study Materials Solution

ralph — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 02:21:24 +0000

What to expect?

Following students concerns about access to printed study material I have brokered a solution with Massey University. The issue is a transition that is not clear to all those involved. The discussion in the Materials and Modes forum suggested that a set of criteria would be applied to the free provision of study material, but as this has not yet been finalised the existing policy stands. The policy states that material essential for course completion must be provided in printed form if the student requests it.

The problem is that not all lecturers are aware of this. If you have a problem with getting hold of printed material, send me an email and I will ensure you receive it post-haste and for free. I am urging the University to clarify this with lecturers so the problem does not become widespread.

Implementation of the Eight Year Rule

ralph — Tue, 15 Nov 2011 00:38:26 +0000

Following my comments at Massey’s Academic Board it was noted that the Eight Year Rule regulation could disadvantage traditional distance learners. It was agreed that communication to students of the rational for this regulation should be clear and immediate. Furthermore, the provision of negotiated pathways should be highlighted. Without a student voice in this process, not only would this regulation be harsher but I feel the communication to students would have been less complete.

You would have received this communication by now. Supporting material has been placed on the Massey site here. It is in this material on-line that the language becomes more difficult for students. Students are expected to “choose pathways that articulate into one another and thereby include completion milestones en-route to a final study destination.” What this means is that students may be required to graduate with a diploma if they are not going to complete their Bachelors in eight years. They can then go on to complete the Bachelors if Massey offers them a further place.

As well as being involved in this discussion, as your student representative I have been placing students first in discussions about;

Applied learning – integrating work experience into tuition
The role of contact courses
The provision of printed vs digital material to students
Guidelines for teaching hours
Plagiarism database and disciplinary regulations
Grievance database and grievance processes
Student survey framework
Failure of students to engage in coursework pilot process
Academic reform process

Each of these areas needs student input to ensure Massey keeps its most important stakeholder at the forefront of their thinking. The voice I supply is appreciated by Massey, particularly those staff who have teaching and learning, rather than financial operations and compliance, as their primary concern.

What’s the Plan Now We Have VSM?

ralph — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 08:35:52 +0000

Now that voluntary membership of student associations is in for 2012, what happens? There have been many meetings between the Massey students associations and the University. As early as March students associations looked to define a good systems for representation within the University. The idea, having a method of keeping students in touch with each other and a system where their views and feedback can be heard, got a positive response from University Council. However, how this will look, and what funding can be used, are still unknown.

The truth is, the VSM Bill has arrived at a very difficult time. Student associations can’t ask at enrolment if a student would like to join – enrolment is already open for 2012 and Massey’s enrolment software does not have that functionality. Also, there is no time to discuss what services the students need and want before the summer break. Furthermore, the nature of the services that can be funded has not been clarified by the Government.

Fortunately, Massey has made it clear that it values its student associations. And the Government has made it clear that services should be agreed between students and the institution. So we have the opportunity to present a strategy about how we might offer services and representation in a voluntary environment. The result for EXMSS is a document that describes one way forward: The EXMSS Draft Strategy and Position Document. Now we must consider all of the factors described in this document and negotiate, in partnership with the other associations and Massey, the way forward.

2012 Fees Rise, Services Remain Unknown

ralph — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 23:27:36 +0000

The fees for study in 2012 have been released.

That's right, we don't know what the services are yet

The fees decision outcome is not unexpected. The tuition fee a student pays will increase four percent, the maximum allowed by Government. The new student service fee effectively represents both the 2011 university levies plus the 2011 student association fees increased by five percent in line with inflation. However not all of the services currently available to students will remain. Shuttle services, for example, are unlikley to be funded through the new student service levy. With the University having to formally account for the dollars levied and then spent on student services, Massey has decided to increase their levy in order to fund the university student services as well as some of the services historically provided by the students associations. Many Student Association services are seen as essential parts of the student experience and student success. The result is transparency about the spending and a relative increase in fees due to an expected reduction in services.

Massey Statement on Fees

Massey University’s student fees for next year will ensure valuable services remain available to students while the University seeks to control students’ costs as much as possible.

Tuition fees will increase by 4 per cent in 2012, in line with the increases announced by other universities.

The fees were agreed by the University Council at its September meeting and will be posted on the Massey website in time for the opening of 2012 enrolments on Monday.

The University Council also decided on changes to the student services levy, which will range from $121 to $516 next year (compared with $75-$325 this year) depending on the mode of learning and the number of papers students take. Distance students will pay less than internal students; full-time students will pay more than those taking fewer papers.

The levy increase reflects a decision by the University to ensure that student services that are valuable part of the student experience at Massey are continued.

2012 University Fee Decisions

ralph — Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:07:17 +0000

The fee decisions for 2012 have been held up due to the late passage of the Freedom of Association (Voluntary Membership) legislation. EXMSS, along with the other Massey associations, would like to discuss with students what might be suitable student association structures and services. But this is difficult when we do not know what sort of funding may be available.

What will fees and services look like under VSM?

The Massey University Federation of Student Associations have been discussing how change can be managed. And the associations have plans to describe the environment and possible structures and services to students in order for the change to be student led. However, before we have that conversation we must have clarity about the resources that may be available, and what scope there may be for service provision.

The FoA Bill is expected to pass into law at the end of September. Following that, information on fees; what is allowed and what is possible, will be made available to students. As a distance student, you can expect a summary of the fee changes on this blog (as has been done in past years), but also to be approached for your views so that student opinion can drive the future direction of EXMSS.

Out of Time for Orderly Change

ralph — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 00:36:32 +0000

It is difficult to imagine student associations getting off to a good start if voluntary membership is introduced in 2012.

In order to operate successful voluntary associations, a simple mechanism for joining the relevant association that is supported by good information about membership costs and benefits, as well as agreed fee collection systems, will be essential.

It is not possible to determine what membership costs or services that may be provided without an understanding of what type of relationship will exist between the University and the associations. This cannot be decided before the University fees for 2012 are set, and there is clarity about the legislation.

When students begin enrolling on October 1^st they should have access to clear information about association services, benefits and costs. With the final form of the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill still unknown, the University is unable to make changes to the enrolment and billing systems that would allow students to join a students association voluntarily.

The consequence for distance students will be the loss of a representative on campus who can advocate for students both as a group and individually. Scholarships, hardship grants, shuttle services, the OffCampus magazine, the extramural student’s graduation dinner, Review It, the contact course help desk, regional support, may also disappear.

The recommendation from the select committee was to give the associations about a year to prepare – let’s hope our law makers see sense and allow us reasonable time to prepare.

Study Materials and Modes

ralph — Thu, 26 May 2011 01:36:54 +0000

I have recently been involved in discussions about how Massey can improve the information for students around what to expect from a paper and how it willbe delivered. This is part of Massey’s drive to continually improve the student experience. This may seem a small issue but imbedded in this discussion has been support for minimum standards for Stream sites. E-submission of assignments and student forums are among the things I support as being mandatory. I was also vocal in suggesting paper outlines include not only learning outcomes and content, but the descriptions of the style of delivery: how much is webbased, is there group work and what sort of study material will be provided.
Recommendations from the group include a suggestion that the student workload calculator (a university endorsed tool) be applied to all papers and that agreed principles be used to guide the need for contact courses. If these recommendations are picked up there will be improved clarity for students regarding what they are spending their money on. Additionally workloads will not fluctuate between papers and contact courses will be necessary and valuable every time.

I will follow and support the progress of these initiatives as your student representative on campus.