Talking Points - Student "Unionism"

I'm so tired of the constant bullshit that the right comes out with about student unionism at Universities. In an unsurprising move, Labor has moved to reintroduce a "Student Fee" which has unleashed the gates of hell - well in people's eyes.

So, I thought it was time to look at their common arguments against CSU and why they're bollocks:

"It's all about Freedom of Association"

There's this common belief that, somehow, money paid into a Student Union somehow lands into the Labor party. That by some feat of magic, the Union is stacked by with left-wing loonies. What a lot of nonsense.

Firstly, the composition the Union representative comes from a ballot of students. So ultimately, you get who you vote for - which is no differnet from what happens anywhere else in ... a democracy.

"Another fees is more burden"

This was Howard's masterplan. By making HECS incredibly expensive, ANY fee (even the pitiful student association fees) seemed like "the straw that broke the camels back". Remeber, we're talking $250 at at time when students are paying $6000 pa for an education (so what, 4%)!

"So people who don't go to Uni should have their taxes directed towards paying for the education of others who will (usually) ultimately end up on a higher salary than them?

Doesn't sound fair to the average worker to me!"

As the next commenter points out:

"They also pay higher taxes Alan - thus pay it back later"

This the same old argument that was trotted out when HECS was first introduced. It was largely bollocks then and it's certainly bollocks now. Most trade based workers are receiving significantly more for their services than the majority of uni trained workers. Yes, there are exceptions (as there are elsewhere in the community), but that's why we have a sliding tax scale (instead of a fixed tax rate). The more you earn, the more you pay back to society.

"Student fees are a joke. If you don't use them, why should you be forced to pay so others can? It's not like taxes, here!"

"If these "services" being provided are so important, why can't the people that use them pay for them?"

Well, if that's your thinking, you're welcome to disassocate yourself from society and go and live in the hills with the rest of the loonies. Puh-lease. If you live anywhere in Australia you pay some form of rates (even if you're renting - it's included in the rent folks) - which subsidies heaps of services in your community. Yet, where are the calls to refuse payment because you never use the library, or ask for a rebate because you never use the dump.

Why haven't we banned taxation because, if I ride a bike, why should I be subsidising roads?

No, this is a stupid argument and harks back to the looniest shit that came out of Hansonism.

"How can anyone justify forced membership of any organisation in a free and democratic Australia?"

Gads, this makes it sounds like you've been forced to become a signed up member of the Labor party - what nonsense!!! You are a member of a community - and like any community, services are provided, etc. How this is funded is probably another argument (actually, see below).

"Only a small number of students, voted in by a small number of students actually had control of the money, and these students had any experience in handling this kind of money. The student unions could hardly claim to represent the majority of students, only a majority of those who voted."

Aagggghhhh!!!! What is it that these people don't get? YOU GET WHAT YOU VOTE FOR!!! This is no different to what happens with every federal/state/local election. If you want control, participate!!!

As a student of a University, you are a member of a community and like all communities, there are groups with power. You have the Uni Administration, the Faculty Staff and the Government. All of these groups have an interest in the University and, thanks to an income/funding source, have power. Is it not right then to expect that, as a significant component of the university, you too should have a voice? To me, that's part of what we're talking about here - having a voice at the University. At time when fees are so high, who is holding Administration's to account? When I was studying a block subject recently outside of the normal "academic year", there were howls of complaints about lack of services (i.e. no computer labs open, no copier services, etc) - so who do you complain to? This is the role of the Student Association.

Question is - how should it be funded and what control should it have over funds raised? Well, this is obviously the vexing issue. To have a voice, the Student Association MUST have power. To gain power, it argues it needs to have associations OUTSIDE of the Uni (and thus we have the NUS). So, how do we get to a point where:

The Student Association limits its power to the University and
Greater scruitiny is made over where funding allocations are made.

Well, like all big problems, the solution is actually remarkably simple - and it's the same solution that we have today in the wider community (how many of us complain about what out governments are doing with "your money"?).

The answer is PARTICIPATION. Yep, it's as simple as that. My suggestion - make voting COMPULSORY for Student Association elections (as we do for all other forms of representation). I suspect the current non-compulsory voting favours the left - so lets give EVERYONE a voice by forcing all to vote. Secondly, give the Student Association real representation on the University Boards - that way we know we have a voice that can be heard. Thirdly, broaden the methods of association - provide a voice within each faculty thus making the student association more accessible. And finally, we need to look at the funding model. I have no easy solutions for this one - you either hand money to the Uni and risk it being swallowed up for non-student activities (like pretty new admin blocks) or relinquish it to the association and risk them blowing it on Lesbian Supporters of Falun Gong. I dunno - maybe a swiss style of referenda on funding needs to happen? Maybe it's a simple as balancing the money between the two?

I suppose the ultimate question comes back to power and how to concentrate that in the interests of ALL students on campus. As consumers, our best voice is to "shop elsewhere" - but is this a viable thing for some students (e.g. Townsville has only 1 University)? So how else do we give students a voice in an area where they're ulimately without one? Well, that's a question for another time...