News

You are here > Home / News

VUWSA election results announced, Freemantle new President

By Seonah Choi | October 6, 2008

Boasting the highest voter turnout in over a decade, the results of the VUWSA general elections were announced last Wednesday evening, with PhD student and assistant lecturer Jasmine Freemantle declared the new president of the Association for 2009.

Salient third best publication in the world

By Seonah Choi | October 6, 2008

Salient returned from the annual Fairfaxsponsored Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA) awards last week with a haul that included one first and second placing, as well as four third placings, including one for Best Publication.

Wood shafts Egarr, furiously

By Seonah Choi | October 6, 2008

Current Salient Political Editor and Honours student Jackson Wood has been named as the new editor of the magazine for 2009.

Wood has spent the last year managing the politics pages of Salient, as well as contributing heavily to the magazine’s blog and its general website.

Fees probably going up

By Seonah Choi | October 6, 2008

The University Council will meet tomorrow afternoon to determine next year’s student fees, as proposed last month by the Finance Committee.

In a memorandum to the Council, the Committee recommended a five per cent increase in all government-funded undergraduate course fees or an increase up to the fee maxima – whichever is the lower of the two figures.

Change to graduation process

By Seonah Choi | October 6, 2008

From next month, students who fulfil the requirements for their degrees, diplomas or certificates will have 12 months to apply to have their qualifications granted.

Previously, students were able to leave their qualifications unconferred indefinitely.

“Getting your qualification granted means we can confirm its authenticity to an employer or other academic institutions if needed,” Graduation Coordinator Fay Julian said.

Student loan repayment time drops “like a stone”

By Seonah Choi | October 6, 2008

Recent advice issued by the Ministry of Education to Tertiary Education Minister Pete Hodgson has reported that the time taken for student loans to be repaid has been halved from eight to four years.

According to the Ministry, the median repayment time for those who finished study in 2005 and had remained in New Zealand was four years, compared with eight years for those who had graduated in 1999.

Bring on the election bribes! Nats, NZ First announce student policies

By Samuel Sachdeva | October 6, 2008

The election-year battle to win student votes has started in earnest among the political parties, with the National and New Zealand First announcing policies aimed at alleviating student debt.

National announced a voluntary bonding scheme for health professional graduates, with the intention of keeping medical workers in the country and helping them pay off their loans.

Eye on Exec

By BK Drinkwater | October 6, 2008

Two hours before the VUWSA election results were announced, the VUWSA exec met for three quarters of an hour and wondered where the axe would fall.

Education Vice-President Paul Brown frequently instructed all present to praise someone called “Jeebus,” apparently because the end was nigh, and broke into song at two points, although Salient could not confirm whether or not the music came from the Oremus Hymnal.

The Year in Eye on Exec (kind of)

By Seonah Choi | October 6, 2008

At the recent Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA) awards, I spoke with the presidentelect of Palmerston North’s Massey University, who raised the topic of the VUWSA exec. My conversation with him was one that has become distinctly familiar this year

The Year in News

By Seonah Choi | October 6, 2008

February

The 2008 Salient news year saw in a fiery (excuse the abysmal pun) start in which an international student residing at Stafford House was charged with arson. The student, later identified as Bennet Alexander, set fire to one of the elevators at the hall of residence as he returned home in an intoxicated state following the Sevens rugby tournament.