FEBRUARY 2012 - ISSUE 01 - Massive Magazine

09Jones sums it up best when hedescribes student associationsas being “transient in nature”,meaning there are few devicesin place to stop mistakes beingrepeated by new presidents.MUSA, being the longestrunning student associationat Massey, has had time tobuild up assets and resourcesthat can be leveraged to ensurefinancial independence. Officespace in their large building hasbeen leased back to generaterevenue, while cutbacks on under-performingservices ensurethey are not operating at a loss.They are not immune to the effects,but somewhat insulated.Alex Jones says: “We have hada significant restructure andhave tightened budgets to ensurewe are financially self sufficientin 2012.” The other twoassociations have had less timeto prepare and will be more vulnerableto closure. Being almosttotally reliant on student fees,they have found themselvessuddenly without any income.It was unlikely students weregoing to fork over hard-earnedmoney to join a student association,especially since the cleverpoliticians decided that studentassociations are not allowed tocoerce students to join in thefirst instance, or restrict servicesto people who do not pay tojoin. The new legislation essentiallymeans the associations arerelying on students coming tothem cash in hand and beggingto join. It doesn’t take a businessmajor to figure out thatthis model is doomed to failure.Doomed, that is, unless youevolve and change the game.With this in mind, the associationsnegotiated servicelevelagreements with MasseyUniversity to provide studentservices in exchange for funds.Much of this funding comesfrom the Student Services Levy,which has risen by almost thesame amount that the now-defunctstudent membership feewas (something being investigatedfor next edition – ED),that appears on each student’sSTUDENT PRESIDENTS ON VSMWhat changes are taking placethis year, as a direct result ofVSM?Alex Jones: As I have said, therestructure was a big changefor MUSA. The most noticeablechanges would have to be theend of CHAFF and the creationof MASSIVE, a slightly smaller O-week, and a change in our membershipstructure. Due to Masseycontracting us for some services,advocacy, clubs and societies,and Radio Control are accessibleto all students, with other benefitssuch as priority to our flats, specialevents, and prize draws being exclusiveto MUSA members.Has VSM affected orientation?Stephen Van Heerden: It has. Albanyhas had to reduce the scaleinvoice.This means Massey will playa major part in the transformationof the associations. Theyhold the purse strings, andthough they have been activelysupportive of student associations,the accountants havebeen hamstrung by confusinglegislation put forth just afterthe VSM bill, the EducationAmendment Act No. 4.This was designed to increasetransparency around the elusiveStudent Services Levy thatuniversities charge studentswhen enrolling, but due to thebill’s timing – right at the end ofthe year – it meant negotiationscould not take place because itwas unclear what universitiescould now legally fund. So, evenif Massey wanted to fully funda student association by wayof the Student Services Levy, ithad no idea if it could do so. Alleveryone could do was wait, andwait, and wait.And while the waiting was goingon, the staff, unsure abouttheir future employability, werewalking to other jobs. Stephenvan Herdeen implies that is maybe a self-fulfilling prophecy:“Without staff the associationcannot operate at full capacity.Without staff the associationof its night events and focus moreon day events which are backedby corporate sponsorship. Nightevents were always highly popularwith students and to see themscaled down largely has been disappointingnews for all studentson campus.Alex Jones: We have definitelybeen more conscious of the riskof putting on events, but we havestill managed to put together agreat looking O-week. We havetraditionally had three themed parties/gigs,and have cut this downto two. There is also the hypnotistnight, which is staying, and thecomedy night, which has beenpicked up by the university.Ben Thorpe:The events are stillgoing to be great but we aren’t layingout a huge amount of moneyfails, and therefore continues toattract members.” The remainingstaff are left with reducedhours and uncertainty as to howthe organisation is structured,while some student presidentshave found themselves in totalcharge of the organisation –something that’s not in their jobdescription.Services that were deemedunnecessary to the operationshave been cut back. Themost noticeable will be Orientation.In previous years, associationshad enjoyed relativefreedom around these events,with no need to return any expenditure.Most Orientationevents ran at a big loss, followingthe notion that they were investingin ‘student culture’. Thisresulted in great events but theydipped into the cash reserves,making them unsustainable.But it’s not all bad news. Thestudent presidents across thecampuses are working to ensurethe security of their associations.Already signs of a professionalassociation can be seenwith changes to Orientation.Line-ups have been adjustedto focus on reducing lossesand making events sustainablewhile maintaining an engag-to produce them. 2011 saw almost$11,000 in losses from Orientation,whereas this year we are predicting$2300. Of course, if attendanceis high then that figure willcome down. Orientation is a wayto welcome students to universityand raise awareness of studentassociations.Have student associationsbeenguilty of overspending?Ben Thorpe: Yes. Student associationstraditionally have hugesums of money, which is guaranteedincome, and perhaps havenot had the maturity to spend thatthe best way. One thing that hasbeen lost sight of is that the fundsare not the associations’, but thestudents, so everything needs tobe spent in their best interests.ing student experience, whileinitiatives such as the mergerof student publications to allowfor economies of scale whileincreasing the overall reach areradical ideas, but born of thenew professional attitude.Each president is determinedto protect the core tenets of representationand advocacy, butrealise that in order to achievethem the associations must becomea professional, well-oiledmachine.The Patient which is emergingfrom the surgery roomis a slimmed-down versionin a pressed suit with neatlytrimmed hair and ready to takeon the world. Its shape is disfigured– a result of the chaoticallyplanned surgery imposed by uppermanagement, and a nickednerve has left it twitching nervouslyevery other minute. It willwalk past its parents and intothe real world without a nod,not relying on them anymore,and they will not take it back.The only question remainsthat is whether the years ofgluttony and complacency hasalready taken its toll and oldhabits will be too easy to fallback into.We will have to wait for thatanswer as well.