Voluntary student membership (VSM) looks virtually certain to be introduced after the Education and Science select committee recommended the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill be passed into law with only minor changes late last month.

The Act Party’s bill is almost guaranteed to become law after the National Government indicated it would support the bill through its second and third readings in Parliament.

Students’ associations and leaders around New Zealand condemned the committee’s decision, which came despite 98 per cent of submissions opposing the legislation. The Committee considered 4837 submissions after submissions closed on 31 March.

Most student leaders were outraged that, despite widespread opposition to the bill, it was endorsed by the select committee.

VUWSA President Max Hardy strongly opposed the decision and the effect it would have on services for students, including Victoria University’s Campus Hub development.

“Student support services, advocacy, representation, clubs, events and our contribution to major building projects like the recently tendered $62 million Campus Hub are now at serious risk.

“This decision, which flies in the face of 98 per cent of the submissions on the Bill, puts in jeopardy the quality of education and the student experience across New Zealand.

“VUWSA will be put in a position where it can no longer continue its significant contribution to students and to education at Victoria.”

Shortly after the select committee report was released, the Young Nats issued a press release in which they were strongly supportive of the Committee’s decision, saying, “this Government is giving choice back to students, and for that it should be applauded”.

The reality of VSM is that many smaller and less financially secure students’ associations are unlikely to survive in a meaningful form. A PricewaterhouseCoopers study commissioned by the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA) reported that revenues from membership fees would all but dry up, leaving smaller associations without significant asset bases at risk of collapsing.

Concerns have also been raised in several quarters that the only real effect of the bill will be to shift the costs of student services and make them less transparent. Auckland University Student’s Association (AUSA) led the outcry over the shifting of costs, saying in a press release that VSM is a failed model which will ultimately end up costing students more for the same service levels. AUSA Education Vice-President Alex Nelder says “to provide the services we used to provide, the University of Auckland has one of the highest student services levies in the country. Students have no say over how high this fee is set, or where the money goes. The fee is much higher than at other campuses nationwide”.

The effects of VSM on students’ associations will not become apparent until at least 2012, as the bill is not intended to pass into law in time to affect operations for 2011.

Thousands of tertiary students around New Zealand will unexpectedly have their access to student loans cut off after it was discovered that the legislation changes introduced this year will take into account 2009 academic results.

The law changes, introduced in the 2010 Budget, mean that students who fail more than half of their course over a period of 1.6 Equivalent Full-Time Study (approximately two years) or more will be refused access to Student Loan scheme. However, when the scheme was announced, it was generally assumed that the changes would only take affect from the 2010 academic year onwards. This is not, in fact, the case.

The requirement to pass more than half of courses taken will be judged on a rolling basis, with a “rolling five-year assessment period” applying. This means that once a student reaches 1.6 EFTS, all their results will count for a period of five years, with results dropping out once five years of study has been reached.

The revelation that this change will be back-dated to include 2009 results means that thousands of students are likely to be denied access to student loans and will have to self-fund their study until they pass enough courses to move them back over the 50 per cent threshold. The implication of this is that many students will be unlikely to be able to remain in study, since the blocking of access applies to both fees and living costs.

Otago Polytechnic Chief Executive Phil Ker told TVNZ that 20 per cent of the Polytech’s students would be denied access when 2009 results were included. Ker said that this had the potential to financially cripple the institution.

Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce was unrepentant about the effects of the changes, telling TVNZ, “I struggle with the fact that the chief executive of one of our larger polytechnics has not taken the time to read the changes that are there, so that’s over to him, but they were clearly announced at the time”.

The exact number of students affected is currently unknown, but Joyce indicated that around 9000 students were likely to be affected.

John Key at Vic, Salient’s invitation lost. Again.

Prime Minister John Key says student debt is a “disaster”, and has raised fresh debate surrounding the future of the current interest-free student loan model.

Key commented on the loan system during a question and answer session after a speech to students at Victoria University’s Weir House last week, explaining how he saw the dire state of collective student debt.

“If you’re an investment banker—not that I am these days—you’d say it’s a disaster of a loan book… It’s $11 billion, roughly, at the moment and we collect 53 cents in the dollar, that’s it. Fifty-three cents in the dollar. If you just sat there, logically, you’d say there has to be a better way of doing it.”

While Weir House residents may not have understood the significance of Key’s comments, they were quickly latched onto by the media and student politicians. Audience members said the comments were off-hand.

Throw-away or not, the comments are the latest in a string of what could be interpreted as hints. National backed the interest-free loan scheme in the 2008 election, but Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce has since admitted it was a “political call” and Key, then in opposition, described the policy as irresponsible.

However, the sudden political talk surrounding student loans is unlikely to have any short-term consequences for students. In parliamentary question time the next day, Key, when bluntly asked if it was the National Government’s intention to introduce interest on loans, answered: “It is my intention to keep interest-free student loans.”

He did, however, signal that greater efforts would be made to chase up non-paying overseas debtors, saying the “Minister for Tertiary Education is looking at ways to improve collection of loans from overseas-based borrowers”. Late repayments by overseas debtors grew 111 per cent last year, the Dominion Post reported.

Student representatives spoke out strongly against any attempt to introduce interest on loans. Otago University Students’ Association President Harriet Geoghegan said she was concerned about the potential for greater numbers of students to leave New Zealand after graduation because the incentive to stay and pay back a loan without interest would be gone.

“The interest-free system, while not addressing the issues of affordability of education, is making staying in New Zealand a more attractive prospect for graduates. Key feels the government cannot afford to maintain interest-free loans, but New Zealand knows we can’t afford not to.

“Like Key, students agree the student loan system doesn’t stack up. Why would New Zealand want to produce generation after generation of graduates who are mired in a debt that is currently close to $11 billion?” said Geoghegan.

NZUSA co-President David Do said “The government should focus on reducing the need for such debt in the first place, and to let the budget’s changes regarding student loans pan out. While John Key has yet again reaffirmed the policy will stay, constant questioning of it is unhelpful and indicates National’s commitment to it is faltering.”

A new ‘40-point drinking plan’ has been floated to deal with Scarfie alcohol abuse. The plan is the product of a $40,000 year-long trip to the US by OUSA Events Manager Vanessa Reddy.

Reddy toured dozens of major US universities, investigating how different campuses have tackled the problem of student drinking.

Ideas from Reddy’s plan include increased scheduling of classes and tests on Friday mornings, upping the price of alcohol around campus, and greater promotion of clubs and activities.

The most radical idea is the creation of a ‘sober-up’ facility, where intoxicated students are held and monitored until their Blood Alcohol Level (BAC) reaches a certain ‘safe’ level.

Under her proposal, students would then be released and issued with a $200 bill, payable within one week (unless the student can prove financial hardship). If the bill is not settled within that time, it would be forwarded to the student’s parent.

Reddy has made it clear that such plans would be a long-term solution to the Scarfie drinking problem, and the effects gradual. The plan is aimed at changing the entire culture of alcohol use in Dunedin, and addresses issues such as accommodation and attitudes towards academics.

After viewing the plan, Critic can say it would have been happy to produce a similar report for $100 and some free pizza.

There are also some initiatives which are unlikely to appeal to anyone over the age of ten, including a plan to help students manage their ‘buzz’ by sending them texts reminding them to drink water and eat food while out on a Saturday night.

OUSA President Harriet Geoghegan was non-committal regarding the plan. “We’re supportive of measures to minimise harm but we’re yet to make a call on how far to go with it.

“Having one person stepping back and taking an holistic view about Otago’s drinking culture is a good thing,” Geoghegan says. “Even if some of the ideas seem simple or obvious and some of them may have been initiated already.”

Otago gets slash-happy

In the wake of the closure of the Otago University Design Studies Department, Otago’s student magazine Critic can reveal that three other departments are also under review.

The three departments are: the Department of Social Work and Community Development; the Departments of Accountancy and Business Law and Finance and Quantitative Analysis; and the College of Education.

Otago University Vice-Chancellor Professor David Skegg tells Critic that rather than imposing cuts across the whole university, it was decided to confine academic restructuring to four areas which have required significant and continuing cross-subsidies from other departments.

“In some of these areas, the possibility of merging parts of existing departments is under consideration,” Skegg says.

He also says no final decisions have been made.

Skegg’s comments came after negative press in the Otago Daily Times, and Critic receiving a leaked document outlining why the Departments of Accountancy and Business Law and Finance and Quantitative Analysis are in the firing line.

The document makes it clear that any staff without strong research records would face an uncertain future.

The five-page plan calls for “strong and focused leadership and an increased senior research capability”.

The moves have been planned in response to the continued poor performance of both departments in the Performance Based Research Funding rounds.

Finance managed a score of 2.5 in the 2006 round, while Accountancy managed only a 1.2, by far the lowest score in the division. As a result both departments have required large transfers of funds from other departments to make up shortfalls.

Last week the ODT ran an article asserting that morale among university staff was low.

“Naturally this is a very unsettling time for staff in the four areas concerned, and all of us feel sympathy for those affected,” Skegg says.

“I would reject, however, the suggestion in the ODT that staff morale across the whole institution is low. Many of our staff would be very worried if the university were not taking appropriate steps to prepare for the changed financial environment.”

Skegg told Critic that the restructuring was necessitated by financial difficulties, and that “academic priorities should be paramount and that the university must support its areas of greatest strength”.

Skegg is optimistic that after these areas had been looked at, no further restructuring would be necessary in 2010 or 2011, and had assured the University Senate to this effect.

Otago says no too

Otago students found themselves locked out of Blackboard after the University of Otago took action against students with unpaid debts, and a few other unfortunate souls who hadn’t done anything wrong.

The Blackboard blackout was the university’s response to rising numbers of students who have failed to pay monies owed. This includes those with unpaid library fines and Student Health bills that are overdue.

The cut-off severely affected students, with some unable to access Blackboard during labs, and others unable to complete assignments, resulting in a loss of credit.

Director of Academic Services John Price says “The university’s Fees Office has been sending communications (letters and emails) to the students who are debtors but in many cases there has been no response from the students concerned.”

This ‘advisement’ took the form of a slip inserted into letters demanding payment.

Critic learned that in some instances students did not receive the insert, and the cut-off came as a complete surprise.

More worryingly, there were reports that a computer ‘glitch’ resulted in some students being cut-off despite not owing money, or owing only inconsequential sums.

Critic was told that the glitch meant that those who had only small sums owing, below the demarcation line for the cut-off of services, were also barred from Blackboard.

The university will not say where they have drawn the line above which services were cut. The glitch was rectified, and those students who owed only small sums had their access reinstated.

OUSA attempted to get the university to reinstate access for all students for a week, to give people time to arrange payments. However, the university denied this request.

The University of Otago has announced their Design Studies School will be disbanded, after a closed-door meeting of the University Senate on Wednesday last week.

Senate meetings are always off-limits to the media and public, but Critic understands that Vice-Chancellor Sir Professor David Skegg made a long-winded speech spelling out the need for the closure of the department. The speech also indicated that other departments will come under similar scrutiny in the future.

The closure of the department was deemed necessary after a loss of $5 million at the university. “We need to be creative,” said Sir Professor Skegg regarding budgeting issues, presumably without a sense of irony.

This meeting came amidst strong student opposition to the changes, culminating in a 300-strong silent protest outside the Clocktower before the Senate meeting.

“The protest definitely helped—you could see the staff feeling guilty as they walked past,” protest organiser and third-year design student Zack Hogg told Critic. This was a sentiment confirmed by Geoghegan, who told Critic that the protest noticeably affected the tone of the meeting, and brought home to senate members the fact that these changes would have a significant effect on students.

The protest had a ‘blackout’ theme, designed to reinforce the notion of a bland and colourless university in the absence of an active Design department.

Hogg said, “I’ve lost respect for Otago University… I’m not sure how much a degree from them is worth after this undemocratic behaviour.”

Sir Professor Skegg was dismissive of the idea that the university was being undemocratic, saying “I don’t think anyone is pretending the university is a democracy” during the meeting.

Geoghegan told Critic, “We tried really hard to ensure a more open process was followed, but unfortunately the proposal was pushed through.” Geoghegan is now working with the university to set up a meeting to inform design students of the impact of the closure, and to ensure that students would receive one-on-one meetings to assist with course planning.

Who’s Editing the ODT?

Last weekend the Otago Daily Times were given a “leaked document”, ran with the story, and misinterpreted a point or two. When the university saw it on the Otago Daily Times’ website, they were less than pleased.

When contacted, reporter John Lewis said that Vice-Chancellor Sir Professor David Skegg contacted Editor Murray Kirkness and demanded it be pulled. “He didn’t want a correction, he just wanted it taken down,” Lewis says. But why wasn’t a simple correction made? “You’ll have to ask the editor about that.”

So we did. He wasn’t as talkative. Among a bunch of “no comments” was this gem: “It is not my place to have to explain a story.”

Curious.

Salient considers bidding, plots take over of Critic

The Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA) listed itself for sale on internet auction site TradeMe last week.

The listing stated “OUSA is looking to privatise” to protect service provision levels in the event Sir Roger Douglas’ Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill becomes law.

The sale of OUSA was originally listed under the category “antiques and collectables”. It was removed on the grounds that it was effectively a business sale, and had to be listed in the commercial property section.

OUSA relisted the auction in the appropriate section but the auction was again pulled after TradeMe received complaints.

TradeMe spokesman Paul Ford told Critic the auction was “pushing the envelope in terms of what we would normally offer for sale” but that it was not pulled because of any underlying political message; rather, it was taken down “due to complaints that it effectively wasn’t for sale.”

These complaints centred on the fact that any sale of the association would have to be ratified by a Student General Meeting (SGM).

OUSA President Harriet Geoghegan told Salient that the sale “was a stunt to show that students own [OUSA] and this will be seriously threatened by Voluntary Student Membership (VSM).”

She told Salient that it was a “fun, cheeky way” to raise awareness about VSM.

Salient entertained the idea of placing a bid on OUSA, but decided against it, given the “excessive” asking price.

Ownership of OUSA would allow Salient to take over rival student magazine Critic.

Minister for Energy Gerry Brownlee rode into Dunedin last week with his Stetson and six shooter, only to find out that he should’ve left his guns at home to avoid shooting his mouth off.

Comments about Voluntary Student Membership made by Brownlee following a meeting with the Otago Young Nats caused Young Labour some consternation.

Brownlee reportedly said “National will support VSM,” to Young Labour member Brittany Travers.

National has so far only stated they will support Roger Douglas’ Bill to Select Committee stage.

When contacted by Critic and Salient, Brownlee’s office released a statement to the effect that Gerry had been approached by a “young woman” believed to be Travers. 

However, Brownlee’s office claims he only told the young woman that “The government is waiting for the select committee to report back… This Bill is not part of National’s confidence and supply agreement with ACT.”

When presented with Brownlee’s statment, Travers said Brownlee was not being honest.

“That’s definitely what I heard him say.”