The executive meeting kicked off with talk of the possible closure of the design department. Announced earlier this month, a proposal by the Division of Sciences would get rid of Design for Technology and focus more on Clothing and Textiles. President Paul Hunt says he and Philippa Keaney of Student Support have been working with the students who have now made a submission. The students have also set up a petition which “we have been hosting at OUSA”.
Hunt said the Dunedin Sleep Out went “really well” and thanked Association Secretary Donna Jones for handing out hot water bottles. Hunt said he has had “many requests” for the OUSA hot water bottles to continue to be made in future — “it could be something that goes in a [flatting] pack”.
The Otago University Lazer Tag Society was affiliated to OUSA. “Lazers are really cool,” said Recreation Officer Jonny Martin. Students for Justice in Palestine were disaffiliated as the club no longer exists.
Finance Officer Nina Harrap released her report for April’s bottle buy-back. The executive collected around 11,300 bottles that weighed 2940 kilograms when they were taken to the recycling plant. Leith Street saw the most bottles exchanged, with 1206 in total. Hyde Street was second with 1055, followed by Dundas Street with 1097. The largest number of bottles exchanged by a single group (four people) was 964.
The executive then heard the remaining second-quarter reports from Harrap and Colleges Officer Taotao Li.
Harrap said in her second quarter she has been averaging 19 hours per week of her 20-hour position which she is “really proud of”. She said she is “being more productive for those extra hours”. Her main focus has been the bottle buy-back which has become her “baby”. Her fellow executive members said she has been in the office more than in the past, and did well with showing new executive members the ropes. Harrap was granted her full honorarium.
Li said when the term started her main effort went into “establishing contacts and connections with colleges and their execs”. She has established a college’s network with college presidents on Facebook and held a college dance competition and a college self-defence course. Li was absent for five weeks of this quarter and says she completed no work while away, but averaged 10–11 hours while she was here. Li was paid full honorarium for the time she spent in Dunedin, but was not paid for the five weeks she was absent.
