Salient. Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 42 No. 2. March 5 1979
Saxby to Fix NZUSA?
Saxby to Fix NZUSA?
Dear Mr/Ms Editor,
Many of your student readers, including those present at University for the first time, will be aware of the existence of the New Zealand Universities Students Association (NZUSA), which has gone to some trouble to advertise itself over the Orientatior period. After the events of 1977 and 1978, NZUSA now sees the necessity of conducting a good PR campaign among it's members. Through your letters column, may I point out the other side of the story?
1. | NZUSA continues to adopt policies which are not representative of student thinking and rejects policies which clearly are (as shown by student referendums, etc., This applies to many so-called "International" policies and to Education policies. Also, delegates to NZUSA Councils have resisted tome recent attempts to introduce safeguards into decision-making procedures. |
2. | NZUSA claims to successfully lobby the government on behalf of students. But there is very little evidence that students have benefited more han they would have without NZUSA, or that a staff of three full-time "political" officers and five administrative stall are required to [ unclear: ir] this. On the other hand, there is evidence that the primary object of NZUSA campaigns is to organise students politically rather than to win Bursary increases and so on. |
3. | NZUSA it diverting an increasing part of its income (which includes about $110,000 in student levies) to minority-interest groups, notably the National Overseas Students Action Committee (NOSAC) and the Women's Rights Action Committee (WRAC). Apart from the danger that these groups will become representative of a minortiy-within-a-minority-, it is obvious that student control of student money, through an elected President and Executive is being watered down. |
4. | The strength of NZUSA is symptomatic of a more general disease in New Zealand society - the pervading view that the government can and should solve our problems and therefore that all our complaints and opinions are best dealt with by referring them to some centralised authority (such as NZUSA This out-dated attitude is held by most NZUSA defenders and especially by the political factions involved. |
5. | The management of NZUSA and its travel company, Student Travel Bureau, has come in for some harsh criticism recently. Last August, without giving notice, STB required the seven Students Associations to provide it with financial guarantees totalling more then $100,000. This scheme, unsurprisingly, has come unstuck. Many other examples of administrative disasters could be cited from past years, yet most pro-NZUSA spokesmen (and spokeswomen) regularly call for more money to be placed in the charge of those who seem incapable of taking responsibility for it. |
Finally, it is worth noting that students' information on NZUSA comes predominantly from NZUSA itself. Contributions are made by Association Presidents and student Editors but overall, the information provided depends on the energy, discernment and prejudices of only a few individuals. It is thus appropriate that an independent organisation exist to provide facts on NZUSA to students and to consider various ideas to alter the present set-up. Further information on the above may be obtained by writing to:
Lower Hutt
Sincerely yours
P.J. Saxby