News

The second round of quarterly reports were presented at last week’s OUSA Executive meeting. It was to be the final meeting for four Executive members, who recently resigned, but with the exception of outgoing International Students’ Officer Kamil Saifuddin they failed to show, believing that their resignations excused them from presenting their final reports. This may have been a blessing, however, as the two and a half hour meeting would have easily reached four hours had they attended.

The majority of discussion revolved around Executive members’ performance and their job descriptions.

OUSA President Ruby Sycamore-Smith discussed her report first. Reviewing her meetings with various politicians, she said the discussions with them were “disappointing.” She said it was clear that “no one cares about the students.” Ruby intends on working closer with NZUSA so that lobbying for improvements to student loans and allowances continues. She discussed the need for further engagement with students so that they understand why the OUSA Executive exists. An OUSA TV campaign was suggested to make the Executive “more approachable and attractive [to students].”

Before leaving the room so that the Executive members present could discuss her report, she admitted, “I don’t think we have a strong team. Everyone has other priorities.”

All members present believed Ruby was doing a great job in her role, despite Admin VP Ryan Edgar reporting that he had heard from Welfare Officer Nali Lee and Finance Officer Nick Tenci that “Ruby’s leadership was a potential reason [for their departures]” and that “some members felt a hostile atmosphere in the office.” No Executive members at the meeting, including Ryan, claimed to share these thoughts, however, and Ruby said it was the first time she had heard they were issues. Education Officer Laura Harris said, “If you have an issue that drives you to resignation, you should be addressing that person directly.” A shared opinion by the Executive was that two-faced behaviour (particularly in these two departing individuals, as Critic has previously reported) had become too common amongst the Executive and a fresh start was much needed for the second semester.

The Executive felt that there was a high demand from Ruby in regards to the number of meetings they were expected to attend, particularly as an extra hour was added during first semester exams. Kamil said, “[Ruby] is working too hard and beyond her job description, which then overlaps into other peoples’ roles.” Ruby admitted to possibly needing to improve her delegation of tasks, but observed, “It’s not my job to babysit the Executive.” Following Ruby’s suggestion, it was decided that monthly reports were required from each member to keep each other up to date on each others’ work and to hold each member more accountable. Her report was unanimously passed.

Kamil was present over Skype for the meeting so that he could present his report and later made it clear that he wanted to give his opinions on other members’ reports. He outlined his efforts with increasing cultural awareness through various events including the International Sports Games and preparation for the International Food Festival. Laura believed he was the Executive member who volunteered the most and had an “exceptional rapport with students who always seem to approach him.”

Administrative Vice-President Ryan Edgar’s report outlined his success with the Hyde Street Keg Party, involvement with University events and intentions with the establishment of his OUSA Policy Committee. He made several suggestions for future referenda, including the option of allowing students to “abstain” from answering questions in the future.

After he left the room, there was mutual agreement amongst the Executive that Ryan had stepped up to his role over the last three months, as well as giving significant assistance to the Finance Officer. However, discussion was had as to whether Ryan was filling in his 20 hours per week. When Ryan returned, he openly questioned whether there was even 20 hours worth of work available and suggested joining the Finance Officer and Admin VP roles together. Ruby believed there was more work to be done in regards to assistance with the leadership of the Executive. It was agreed that a meeting would be set up to “analyse the job description.” Ruby reflected on past Admin VPs stating, “the bar has dropped quite significantly and it’s hard to bring it back up.” Ryan’s report was moved, but Kamil opposed it, getting a panicked response from the OUSA President following the tense discussion.

Laura’s report described the strong relationships she has formed with University staff, assistance with Are You Ok? and work on the class reps system. As a result of her late entry to the Executive, she did not have specific goals set, however the Executive gave her excellent reviews and her report was passed.

Recreation Officer Henri Faulkner mentioned attendance at various meetings and reported that $30,000 is still left in grants for the remainder of the year. There was concern over the comment in the meeting that “George does my job.” George McLenaghen is the Clubs Development Officer at the Recreation Centre, so the report seems to suggest that Faulkner may also need a review of his job description. Modest as ever, he said he was enjoying the role: “It’s awesome having a few hundred people say I don’t know what I’d do without you.” Always humble, Henri is.

His report, despite containing no specific goals, was passed quickly; most likely as a result of the hours he spends “practically living” in the office.

Te Roopu Maori President Mariana Te Pou outlined her work as contributing to various committees and assisting with numerous events. She also stated that she wanted her job description to be defined, however she seems to be a stand-out Executive member in regards to her ability to delegate tasks to the Te Rito Executive. Her solid report outlined the organisation of study retreats, exam lunches and heavy involvement with most OUSA events.

Brydie Ockwell, Hamish Barker, Nali Lee and Kurt Purdon’s reports were all tabled, as they did not attend the meeting. Nick Tenci notably failed to present a report.

If Ruby continues to be as direct with the Executive members as she was in this meeting, and gains a diligent new intake in the upcoming by-election, the second semester could bring a much-needed breath of fresh air to the OUSA Executive. Critic suggests a clarification of all Executive members’ job descriptions, even for those who did not ask for one.