http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/02/23/government-returns-to-the-student-union-minefield/ now with extra source Sun, 12 Feb 2012 02:48:10 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/02/23/government-returns-to-the-student-union-minefield/#comment-7598 Tim.Nash Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-7598 Two years ago I was the student editor for Opus at Newcastle University, the number one issue for our particular student union was VSU.<br />What eventuated or evolved from the ashes of 2005 was a totally different union that from years before. NUSA was forced to reinvent itself; it had to become frugal, inventive and lean. However there was no doubt the system was changed forever.<br />The union itself had split many years before into a facility based union (cafe, bookshop, print shop, concerts and bar) owned by the uni and a student body based association clubs, societies, collectives, student newspaper and help for students.<br />But even this simple set up was effected by VSU. Services and staff where trimmed the student newspaper was cutback in quality and in issues. Through all this people fought on and the student Association remained stronger than ever.<br />If funds are given to universities by the Labour government how does that effect the freedom of the student union and most importantly something like a student newspaper. Both left centric and right thinking students write for student media although the perception is that student media is a lefty hippy haven.<br />There seems to be much misunderstanding about exactly what VSU meant and still means at university. This is a subject which many crikey journalists should hold close to their hearts considering their fledgling articles pepper the student papers of Australia.<br /> Two years ago I was the student editor for Opus at Newcastle University, the number one issue for our particular student union was VSU.
What eventuated or evolved from the ashes of 2005 was a totally different union that from years before. NUSA was forced to reinvent itself; it had to become frugal, inventive and lean. However there was no doubt the system was changed forever.
The union itself had split many years before into a facility based union (cafe, bookshop, print shop, concerts and bar) owned by the uni and a student body based association clubs, societies, collectives, student newspaper and help for students.
But even this simple set up was effected by VSU. Services and staff where trimmed the student newspaper was cutback in quality and in issues. Through all this people fought on and the student Association remained stronger than ever.
If funds are given to universities by the Labour government how does that effect the freedom of the student union and most importantly something like a student newspaper. Both left centric and right thinking students write for student media although the perception is that student media is a lefty hippy haven.
There seems to be much misunderstanding about exactly what VSU meant and still means at university. This is a subject which many crikey journalists should hold close to their hearts considering their fledgling articles pepper the student papers of Australia.

]]> http://www.crikey.com.au/2009/02/23/government-returns-to-the-student-union-minefield/#comment-7599 Andrew P Thu, 01 Jan 1970 10:00:00 +0000 #comment-7599 Governments of both flavours have spent so much time posturing about whether unionism should be voluntary, largely on the basis of their feelings toward the word 'union', that it suprises me they show so little interest in alleviating the huge non-voluntary fees students now pay for their actual education. Its pretty clear that student unions are just collective amenity funds, allowing for the fact that university students find more amenity in political discussion in a free press than the general public or professional politicians. Governments of both flavours have spent so much time posturing about whether unionism should be voluntary, largely on the basis of their feelings toward the word ‘union’, that it suprises me they show so little interest in alleviating the huge non-voluntary fees students now pay for their actual education. Its pretty clear that student unions are just collective amenity funds, allowing for the fact that university students find more amenity in political discussion in a free press than the general public or professional politicians.

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