News

The OUSA President wants to scrap almost all OUSA policy and start over.

 
At the OUSA Student General Meeting (SGM), which will be held on Thursday at midday on the Union Lawn, President Harriet Geoghegan is intending to move a motion relevant to OUSA external policy. “I am going to move a motion to rescind all previous motions and replace them with those that are still relevant and in relation to the core business of OUSA.
“There are a huge amount that are ridiculous, outdated, no longer an issue, or not of direct concern to University of Otago students. These motions are a direct cause of criticism to OUSA.”
Student General Meetings are the mechanism through which OUSA seeks guidance from its members. Many motions that have been passed at previous SGMs are clearly meant for the amusement or edification of those moving them, rather than being truly representative of the views of most students. 
At the SGM, Geoghegan will also move a motion “to enable SGMs to be held online so that more students can participate in the process, rather than have a village-style vote in the main common room.”
The current format of SGMs has long been a bone of contention, with meetings sometimes failing to reach the required quorum of one percent of members. The poor turnouts have also meant that groups have also been able to ‘pack’ meetings and push through motions to their benefit. The rowing club notoriously managed to gain huge amounts of OUSA cash for their facilities by doing this.
In addition to Geoghegan’s motions are a bunch of Constitutional amendments proposed by Executive members and, far more interestingly, a motion put forward by students James Gluck and Cory Anderson to revoke 2009 President Edwin Darlow’s life membership and expel him. Critic understands that this is because he sucked.
All students can attend and vote on issues.
A full list of the motions on the table this week is on OUSA’s website (ousa.org.nz) and facebook.com/critictearohi.
 
[SIDEBAR]
THESE POLICIES ARE ON THE OUSA BOOKS
• “That OUSA put pressure on the Government to oppose all European immigration into NZ until the Governments of Europe and Northern America stomp on their neo-Nazi fascism groups.” (1993)
• “That if OUSA is to endorse the use of one form of substance abuse, it should also introduce a Drugs Bomb and Festival of Speed.” (1994)
• “That this SGM recommends that OUSA spend $250 000 on its famed penis-shaped skytower, design to be commissioned by Stephen La Roche and built by IBM.” (1999) Accompanying note: “Current (Amended) on Campus. Amended to be vulva-shaped.”