The OUSA Referendum is always boring as shit and no one ever submits any questions. Mostly because it seems like it takes actual time and effort and requires a passion for student politics that most people simply don’t have.
The thing is, it’s not that hard to get stuff added to the list of questions, and if you do that there’s a pretty decent chance it might pass and then they’ll have to do it.
So, because we know you lazy bastards aren’t going to do anything, we at Critic are making a special, one-time offer: if you send us something you want to see on the referendum, we will reformat it and write it into a formal proposal so that you don’t have to do any of the work. Just come up with any half-baked idea for something you’d like to see OUSA do, send it to us at critic@critic.co.nz, Snapchat (username: criticmag), message us on Facebook, text me (0275067269), fucking send out some smoke signals; as long as you get it to us, we’ll do the rest.
News Editor Charlie O’Mannin is particularly keen to see OUSA adopt the famous Sexy Garfield artwork as their official flag, which shall be flown from all OUSA buildings. Or that OUSA formally endorse the legalisation of LSD (shout-out to Josh Smythe). Or that they turn the squash courts into a student bar. Or turn the Clubs & Socs centre into a student bar. Or take over UBar and turn it into a (good) student bar.
But for real, the OUSA referendum is a shockingly easy way to see genuine change happen. Last year I submitted a proposal to change the OUSA elections from First Past the Post to the Preferential Voting system. I didn’t have to campaign for it or attend meetings or any of that bullshit, I just wrote it up, sent it in, and then everyone voted. It passed with 71% support.
It seemed like an obviously better thing that OUSA should be doing, and now they have to do it.
You don’t have to organise protests and/or yell at politicians or read long boring reports to make a genuine change within OUSA. We’ll do it for you. Just tell us what you want.