News

On Thursday last week, a Student Forum was held to discuss the motions that will be put to an online referendum this week. Students will be asked to vote on 13 motions, including motions on NZUSA, the OUSA Budget and GST.

The crowd at the Student Forum was comprised mostly of Exec members and miscellaneous OUSA geeks. For many, this will be a cause for concern, given that the Exec must meet a five percent threshold for the referendum to reach quorum.
   Finance and Services Representative James Meager spoke to the proposed OUSA Budget, stating that it is “sufficient to see OUSA through to 2011.” Although he endorsed the proposed levies, he spoke against the increase, calling it “hypocritical” and a “bad political move.” He then asked how OUSA could oppose the University’s fee increases with a clean conscience, and joked that perhaps OUSA would just have to support them, as former President Edwin Darlow notoriously did. Meager said that instead, OUSA should have focused on core services, and looked to downscale OUSA. 
   Meager also spoke to the proposed amendments to the OUSA Constitution and rules, which he admitted “reflect what I want, because I did it.” Meager said that the changes in the constitution had left it in a “shambolic mess” and called it “unworkable.” The new format will reinstate SGMs to vote on administrative functions, and to send motions on external issues to an online vote. Says Meager, “this enables any member with internet access to have their say.” Both Clubs and Socs Rep Dan Stride and OUSA President Harriet Geoghegan spoke in support of the change. “It also removes the Exec’s so-called veto,” said Dan. “It’s a gigantic improvement over what we have at the moment.”
   One of the biggest issues at the forum was NZUSA, which had commandeered five of the motions. Geoghegan spoke for withdrawing from NZUSA, saying that the funding goes to conferences and training that we don’t really need, and for expensive offices. Crazed OPSA President Megan Cloughley then continued her recent trend and hijacked the meeting, attacking NZUSA and at one point asserting that NZUSA didn’t believe that the South Island was part of New Zealand. Playing the devils’ advocate, General Rep Imogen Roth spoke against withdrawing, saying that it is unproductive to withdraw from NZUSA when OUSA is the main association pushing for changes, and stating that it should be up to students to decide on whether to withdraw.
   Some members of the audience seemed very confused as to the function of NZUSA, with one particularly talkative member asking what effect withdrawing from NZUSA would have on Clubs and Socs.
   Motions 10 to 13 were all put forward by Stride. Discussions on motion 12, which opposed the GST increase, quickly disintegrated into a battle of political ideology between Meager and Stride. Said MC Mike Bridges, “You come to these things, have fun, and learn.”