News

This Executive meeting was brief, but revealed a busier week for the team - enough to actually convince Critic that they may have met their hourly requirements!

The Executive passed a motion to renovate the Aquatic Centre. They aim to spend $25,200 (excluding GST) on the vinyl flooring and $17,015 (excluding GST) on replacing the balcony and handrails. The Colleges Officer said she would like to investigate this further, however, before agreeing to it.

OUSA President Ruby Sycamore-Smith asked the existing Executive members running for 2015 positions to only use the back entrances of OUSA offices during the campaign. She said that these members should keep away from the OUSA reception area so as not to influence voting decisions.

Ruby told current Executive members who are not running for the 2015 elections, Admin VP Ryan Edgar, Te Roopu Maori President Mariana Te Pou, and Education Officer Laura Harris, that they would “have to be very active” in terms of helping with forums. OUSA Executive members cannot present themselves publicly whilst campaigning. For this reason, Critic will not be publishing the names of the current Executive members running for next year’s positions in this week’s Execrable. The Postgraduate Officer also said he would be cautious with public appearances as he is planning on being “very active” for particular candidates.

Once again, the publication of the 2015 OUSA Budget was delayed after the Postgraduate Officer said he wants to change the Exec Post Grad Committee ‘Events held - Other’ budget line from $1,500 to $5,000. This is the same as the 2014 budget, but now puts the overall budget into deficit. The budget has been published on OUSA’s website and is available for anyone to look at; Critic will provide an analysis in next week’s issue.

It appeared that someone has been reading Execrable, as the President told Executives she “would like to make it clear that you should be saying three key points you've been working on.”

Ruby has been working on the General Manager’s performance review, but has mainly focused on the General Election campaign. She mentioned that the success of Young Back Benches and the Tertiary Education Forum had received “lots of TV coverage and even positive comments from the Clocktower.”

The Finance Officer has been talking to the Dunedin City Council about local alcohol policies. He said that as the DCC are using bars to alter the drinking culture, “it might be useful to take suggestions to the DCC so we’re not just seen as opponents of theirs.” He has also been working on the General Elections and is trying to have input from all the parties at election events. “We’d like some National candidates to say their piece, as we’ve had lots from Labour and Green.”

The Postgraduate Officer has been working on the Finance and Expenditure Committee budgets, submissions to the Otago Council on the proposed new bus system, and reviews of the OUSA Governance Review, which looks at stakeholder representation and “potentially getting an advisory board for OUSA.”

The President of Te Roopu Maori, Mariana Te Pou, has been visiting students to give them advice on advance voting as “not many people knew about it.” She says she has also been working on “constitutional things.”

The Welfare Officer said she has been working on the upcoming Women’s Week, Disabilities Day, and the International Gala night taking place this Friday.
The Recreation Officer has signed various grants and contracts, and has had a meeting with the Information Technology Advisory Committee. However, he destroyed Critic’s hopes by following this activity with, “the majority of it has gone over my head.” He also helped pack down the food festival.

Education Officer Laura Harris has helped with “a lot of election stuff.” She has also had discussions with Deputy Vice-Chancellor Vernon Squire to discuss putting trigger warnings in the course outlines for papers that have some sensitive material. She said this followed a contraceptive module of one paper, which “upset a few students and caused one to faint.”

The Admin VP Ryan Edgar has spent a lot of time on Finance and Expenditure Committee work, which he describes as “pretty soul destroying.” He also noted that he had received a response from Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA) after an article was run in Critic on the issue, but says, “I’m pretty comfortable sticking with our original decision.” He says, “however, I have a new found appreciation for their society and saying things about them sending students on holidays was a little bit harsh.”

Campaigns Officer Hamish Barker has been working on Mental Health Week, Elections work, and organising a visit from the Live More Awesome Foundation.
The Colleges Officer has been helping with the food festival and facilitating discussion over the aforementioned sexual assault policies.

General notices included a reminder of the North Dunedin Candidate debate for the General Election to be held this Tuesday. There will also be forums for the OUSA Executive Elections this week. At 5pm on Wednesday 17 September, the Presidential forum will be held in the Main Common Room; the other executive positions will have forums at 1pm on Monday 15 and Tuesday 16 September in the same location to discuss the candidates’ policies.

The meeting ended with Critic asking why the minutes for the meeting on Monday 8 September were passed. The meeting was five minutes long, but the minutes outline a discussion that was apparently had between the Executive over various budgeting matters. The discussion was had without Critic’s presence, and the Finance Officer admitted that they had had a meeting the previous week to “hash out” the issues. Critic would like to note that it is of questionable legality to record details of a discussion in the minutes when said discussion did not actually occur in that meeting. Even if it is outlining the prior debate, this does not adhere to the standards set by the OUSA constitution. Minutes must be a “true and correct record” of what occurred in that exact meeting, to maintain transparency of the organisation.