Unfortunately, none of this applies to non-main campus students without their own independent Union, such as the Conservatorium. Spending on Conservatorium students is no more than $10000 a year from the three student organisations, yet we contribute approximately $320000 a year in compulsory fees.
The SRC is spending a reasonable amount of money on course readers and other academic issues - however I know from first hand experience that the money they spend on academic issues is dwarfed by funding for minority causes, and paying for election campaign material. They spend about as much money getting themselves elected using SRC fees, than they do on the education program in a year. Add to this the fact that they continuously engage in vote-rigging, and various other corrupt actions, and you can see why a lot of us aren't happy with the SRC.
The Union has by far the biggest budget of the three organisations, and their benefit is negligible, when you consider that the non-member price for food at Cumberland campus (which is run by the Cumberland Students Guild) is cheaper than that of the member price at a Union campus. At the Sydney Eclectic Composers Society, we receive about $3000 a year in funding. Considering that our membership is over 60 people, paying the Union $271 a year, it's not much money - and we wouldn't even get this much if it weren't for our constant threats of secession. If we were to secede and put our student fees into a Con-based organisation, we would have a Lot more money to spend, and absolutely no loss of services.
Funding on sport events at the Conservatorium in 2003 and 2004 was a great big $0. Considering that every Conservatorium student pays $144 a year to SU Sport, it is extremely unfair to spend nothing on the Con.
And you wonder why students aren't happy with Universal Student Unionism. I don't support VSU, but even the Union's General Manager acknowledges we'd be better off without the Union at our campus.
. I aint that worried cause i know theres gotta be something there.
