A quick guide to MQ Politics (1 Viewer)

[Skittled]

People might not like the new VC and his strategies, but fuck after spending the better part of the past week reading up on him since his murdoch/brunel days, I've got to say I'm impressed and he's a champ.

Anyone who shifts power around won't be liked, because it threatens those who currently hold the power! From the very limited anecdotal evidence I've seen, he's stirring things up. From what I've seen, it's for the better, so if things keep going that way, I'm a Schwartz-backer!

Re SRC, Nik, I think a big thing will be to educate students on the role of the SRC. I think lots of people assume its importance, without knowing how it affects them (myself included, admittedly). This becomes even more of an issue in the uncertainty of the current shakeup, but would have been a problem even if nothing had changed.

I'd suggest a an educative campaign: High-placed A3 coloured posters seem to work well (if not confused with christian union), with stuff like "SRC is responsible for..." or "We've done...", etc, indicating why the SRC is important. Rallies are great too, but too often their timing/location/etc is inconvenient; Short Podcasts (personal preference of 4-5 mins are fantastic for quick updates), weblogs, newsletters (or insets in "the word"), anyone?

 

[xeuyrawp]

Sorry, but 95% of Macquarie students don't give a shit, and at least 1/3 couldn't read any kind of campaigns you produced. If they wanted to, anyway, which they don't.

Don't waste money on trying to inform the students, just do whatever you think is best for them.

 

[Skittled]

Aww that's cynical, Rob!

Okay, so my drunken & tired state last night might've been a little optimistic (and tonight's no better, really) but I stand by the main point: a lot of students out there don't know what the SRC/other bodies actually do.

I'd venture that they don't care (ala Rob's post) because they don't know/understand. It's hard to be motivated about a system when you don't know the machinations of the system, or even that it exists. Instead it'd appear you've got to start from scratch and push the issue yourself, and most students simply don't have the motivation/resources to do that. The whole purpose of the SRC is to represent the students... if it's not understood how it fits into the whole by those it represents, I don't think it can do its job properly.

I'm on the L+P divisional committee, and we have the same problem: What do we take to the divisional level, as opposed to the other levels? What 'issues' would I tell Nik/SRC reps, as opposed to pursuing them individually with the division/department/lecturer/admin individual/dean/SES/registrar's department/other?

Need to know the system (Edit: ), or have some easily accessible way that one can gain working understanding of it. If this exists, why isn't it publicised? I'm interested (but not motivated), and don't know of it.

(That said, I DON'T understand the system, hence these posts. I hope this changes, but in the meantime any errors or omissions are made in good faith with 100% ignorance )

 

[nikmueller]

University creates the club with no peer

Harriet Alexander Higher Education Reporter
June 8, 2007

• THE pub with no beer has met its tragicomedic match: the student union with one student. The organisation set up by Macquarie University to replace those liquidated in the wake of scandals surrounding the former undergraduate president will only have one student on its board. And he has been appointed by the university, rather than elected by his peers.
• The university circulated an email this week outlining the shape of U@MQ, which has already started operating in place of the sports association, student representative council and union to provide catering, clubs, sport and shops on campus.
• The psychology student Nicholas Mueller, who will replace the controversial Victor Ma as the student representative on Macquarie's governing body, was announced as the sole student representative on U@MQ.
• Mr Ma was sacked as president of the union, and resigned from the university and student councils after an investigation by the university and police into the financial management of the bodies he controlled, and the transfer of more than $200,000 from their accounts.
• The university will next year hold elections for a student representative to sit on its governing body, and whoever wins this place will also be appointed to the U@MQ board.
• The National Union of Students believes Macquarie is now one of just three universities without an elected body to represent students on campus.
• Tim Quadrio, the student representative to the university's law department, said any student who was appointed would be compromised by owing their position to the university. "Someone who wants to protect that position will possibly not speak out as strongly as one who has a mandate from the students," Mr Quadrio said. "We're happy to see the end of Victor Ma and his cronies, but to have thrown out the baby with the bathwater seems a bit sad."
• Richard Kerr, the project manager of U@MQ, said students would continue to have input by sitting on various committees and through an employment program. "What we're looking at is broadening this definition of student representation, broadening it to general student engagement," Mr Kerr said.
• Mr Mueller said he and other students hoped to revive the concept of an elected student body but it was too early to say how this would be done.

bullet points clarify everything. hey ladies, i'm now officially famous. as the university's stooge. damn.

shame harriet alexander didn't make it clear that

• we do not have a student union
• 35% of students voted me for university council

other than that, good article. i agree with Mr Quadrio. seems like a throw-away complaint though. hopefully this article will piss students off. enough to help write the constitution for the new SRC.

peace

 

[AsyLum]

Tim Quadrio, the student representative to the university's law department, said any student who was appointed would be compromised by owing their position to the university. "Someone who wants to protect that position will possibly not speak out as strongly as one who has a mandate from the students," Mr Quadrio said. "We're happy to see the end of Victor Ma and his cronies, but to have thrown out the baby with the bathwater seems a bit sad."

I'd tend to disagree with that, even if you were to be on your own student union, you'd still have little powers to change anything fundamentally 'admin' related and so you'd have to still lobby them. If you had a genuine concern, then you could bring that concern up directly, rather than through the different bureaucracies as was before.

Furthermore the removal of payment makes it unwanted for those who are striving to use it purely for their own gain.

 

[Kegs]

Quadrio is a douche. Nikm was elected and they expanded the duties that come with being elected. If he actually looked into it, this would be very clear. Anyone who disagrees with me is also a douche. As are you pwar. You are always a douche...