VSM and Dunedin

After many years of pushing and protesting voluntary student membership is here.

What does this mean for Otago University, Polytechnic and Dunedin? The  Otago University and Polytechnic student unions provide services for students and these are necessary for protecting the rights of students (both individual and collective) and providing recreational and culutural opportunities (in other words fun).

While the institutions, academic and civic, would like to believe students descend on Dunedin purely for the excellent academic reputation our educators have; it is more likely that prospective students are looking for a safe, healthy, and fun environment in which to learn. With the removal of compulsory memberhip of the unions there is likely to be a shoftfall in the funding necessary to ensure the attractive environment.

At the start of the year booze and toys can be more appealing to the new student than a vague service provision. With a lack of funding the attractive study environment will degrade and students will no longer seek Otago for their studies.

To make sure that Dunedin remains a top choice for prospective students it is critical that the institutions step up and provide the funding for the student services (as many other centres do). After all, without education Dunedin really will suffer. So the student associations need to approach the councils, the university, and the polytechnic to ensure funding levels and services remain at a high and attractive level. The councils, the university, and the polytechnic need to support their student unions through financial assistance.

While funding throughout Otago is tight (because someone believed a Chinese garden, rugby stadium, town hall upgrade, and early settlers museum would attract students) there is still the need for the institutions to step up to the mark and ensure we retain an attractive enviornment for students. Then we will be able to afford to pay off our debts.