Labor's VSU alternative (1 Viewer)

[UnIqUe PrInCeSs]

mhm

care to show how student unionism is necessary for keeping people alive that can't survive any other way?

'vsu kills queers' doesn't count

 

[jb_nc]

um they can survive by going to trash cans for food and go and get jobs

.:. it is not necessary

 

[UnIqUe PrInCeSs]

um they can survive by going to trash cans for food and go and get jobs

.:. it is not necessary

lol ok

anyway hopefully everyone will see that USU by another name is still USU and we'll continue as a society to be above such backward practices

freedom of association or stfu

 

[Triangulum]

bs! it means that you have to pay PLUS INTEREST

HECS-HELP debts don't incur interest. (Well, technically they incur interest at CPI level, but in real terms there isn't any.)

 

[kami]

I have to say I'm somewhat dissapointed with this - opening it up to the market has done nothing but good. Union services (that are paid for) have improved vastly: we have white water rafter and pole dancing and go karting and paintball and all sorts of stuff. And our food outlets have all been updated and made nice. Everyone can get the old union prices from these too if they choose to get the card. You can also still pay to get into clubs, marginal price jump (one of the clubs I joined was $5)

The unpaid for services have decreased, however in large part UTS didn't service my faculty with much in that direction. Always had a poor O day, never had a communications camp etc. Other stuff like childcare and disability access can now be handled by the uni.

If labor does this kind of rolling back, I'll still be paying for something I won't need and the services will probably regress since they don't need to be as top notch anymore. They're too secure to need to court student interest.

 

[stazi]

the question has been how long unions will survive at this rate. they made lots of improvements, but are realising that they aren't sustainable. i think usyd's union was estimated to go insolvent in about 9-18 months at this rate.

 

[jb_nc]

i thought the university was topping the union up itself

 

[Triangulum]

Are the financials of the SRC and USU available anywhere? Do they publish an annual report or something?

 

[jb_nc]

http://www.usuonline.com/cms/?pageID=71&showDate=False

 

[Triangulum]

http://www.usuonline.com/cms/?pageID=71&showDate=False

Thanks mate.

 

[stazi]

Well if the student unions didnt waste money on anti government campaigns then, Howard wouldn't fuck them over in return

Its their fault for bitching and wasting MY money for it

One could argue that if the Howard government didn't institute VSU, the student unions wouldn't waste money on anti-government campaigns.

 

[stazi]

worst. troll. ever.

 

[withoutaface]

One could argue that if the Howard government didn't institute VSU, the student unions wouldn't waste money on anti-government campaigns.

You sure about that?

 

[Triangulum]

There needs to be stronger regulation of student union campaigns, to keep them more confined to student issues. Don't know where that regulation would come from, but 'The Iraq war is a student issue because money that's spent on the war is money that's not spent on universities' is a bit of a stretch.

 

[stazi]

There needs to be stronger regulation of student union campaigns, to keep them more confined to student issues. Don't know where that regulation would come from, but 'The Iraq war is a student issue because money that's spent on the war is money that's not spent on universities' is a bit of a stretch.

uhhh i think you're confusing the SRC with the union

 

[Triangulum]

uhhh i think you're confusing the SRC with the union

I was using 'student union' in a general sense. In the context of Usyd, I mean the SRC, yeah.

 

[aussiechica7]

personally i think student unions should ONLY provide student services and not fund political/religious bias. also there's a part of me that thinks if some clubs/organisations want 2 exist they should be able to find funding within their own community. i have no problem with compulsory fees paying for e.g. subsidised food, student loans, childcare arrangements, etc. i do have issues with compulsory fees paying for political and religious groups that do not represent the entire student body (e.g. make howard history, christians on campus, etc.). i always see these posters "join the union, YOUR voice on campus" and i'm like "no, it's really not". the response would be "well u should campaign the union to represent you better". A) it won't B) i'm busy enough as it is, i shouldn't HAVE to do that. hopefully if vsu does stay it will fund the things that actually need to be funded and leave the niche/controversial interest groups to raise their own funds.