The Union, now more than ever, needs to really rethink the way it runs itself. At a time when fees are already exorbitantly high and services are incredibly bloated, most candidates are suggesting that we should increase spending for services which, for the most part, benefit very few people at a great cost to the rest of the student population. This will lead to higher fees for useless services, membership will drop, and the Union will die.
As a Union board director, I will:
- Continue the privatisation of Union buildings. The Union loses millions of dollars annually on catering! All this for decidedly subpar food that isn't very cheap either. I will bring in private outlets such as Oporto and Boost Juice, so that you can get both better food, and lower Union fees.
- Seek more corporate sponsorship for Union events. Presently clubs such as SubSki have major sponsors for all of their events, while parties like Beachball have none. The Union needs to get serious about this issue, so parties can become a reliable source of revenue to fund other important activities.
- Introduce a tiered membership system, where you choose your level of involvement. If, for example, you utilise basic Union services, but find food subsidies useless, you won't have to pay for them.
- Create more help for clubs and societies in organising joint events. Such events allow smaller clubs to reduce costs by buying in bulk, as well as have larger events than they could otherwise hold with their limited member bases.
- Push for greater accountability to students. The Union should release a comprehensive budget, so you can see exactly where your money is going, rather than making wild guesses from the pathetic little pie chart found in your diary.
All of these initiatives will help to cut down Union fees significantly, make it more focussed on serving its members, and ultimately it is the only realistic strategy to cope with VSU.
