Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association

Student Union Maintenance Fees

I hope that all students will have noticed the addendum on the fly leaf of the V.U.W. Calendar for 1962, which requires the extra payment of £1 as a Student Union maintenance fee. This is to be charged by the University to all students on enrolment who are required to pay the Student Association fee.

Unfortunately, the maintenance and running costs of the buildings could not be accurately determined until late last year, which did not allow the matter of a possible increase in the Students' Association fee to be considered by a Special General Meeting. In December 1961, when your Executive was informed of the finance required to meet this need, the following motion was passed unanimously—

"That the University Council be requested to obtain a £1 Student Union maintenance fee from all students enrolling at V.U.W. in 1962 who will be paying a Students' Association fee, with the assurance that the V.U.W.S.A. Executive will take the necessary steps to call a Special General Meeting of the Association in 1962 with a view to including this £1 in the Students' Association Fee as from 1963."

The University Council is entitled to charge such fee as is laid down in Section 49 of the Victoria University of Wellington Act 1961.

It is indeed unfortunate that this extra fee has coincided with the trebling of tuition fees. However, setting aside the suddenness, and the justification or otherwise, for this trebling of fees, an increase in the financial contribution from students towards maintaining the S.U.B. has been expected for some time. You may recall that a forewarning was included in the 1961 Association Annual Report.

If it is assumed that this extra fee would be incorporated with the existing £3/5/-, this new Association fee of £4/5/- would still be the lowest in New Zealand.

The many students who, since 1957, have paid their £1 every year towards the capital cost of these facilities should be remembered. In many cases these students have not even seen the finished buildings—let alone enjoyed the benefit of using them. It should be made clear, that this £1 I mentioned above, is in no way assisting the maintenance of the buildings—this is re-payment of a loan to the University Council which will not be completed for at least another seven years.

I sincerely hope that nobody will begrudge having to pay his or her small share for the use of our magnificent Union facilities.