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MYTH ONE: Students Are Forced to Join Student Organisations.
Upon enrolment students are automatically made a member of their student
organisation, which is quite distinct to the fact that they are required
to pay a compulsory service fee. Each university provides mechanisms for
students to opt-out of membership to the student organisation. However,
if a student does not wish to be a member of the student organisation they
are still required to pay a service fee.
It is important to note that it is the university that charges the service
not the student organisation. And it is the university that will cancel
a student's enrolment if they have not paid the compulsory service fee
not the student organisations.
If students are not able to afford to pay this service fee they are able
to appeal to have the fee waived and in most instances where hardship is
demonstrated these students have their fee waived.
MYTH TWO: Student organisations do not contribute to the education process.
Student organisations provide various vehicles to allow students to engage
their learning in a practical environment. By providing these measures,
student organisations actually give students an opportunity to enhance
their learning with practical experience.
Student organisations act as social equalisers by allowing people outside
of traditional professional circles to get their foot in the door - whether
it is putting on a play, learning layout skills with the student paper,
getting up in student or university meetings to argue a point, or becoming
secretary of the chess club. The lectures are the theory, the participation
in campus culture is part of the practice - star of the training for how
the future graduate should make a contribution to their society as an active
citizen.
MYTH THREE: Market forces will better provide for student services.
Student organisations have for many years been tendering out services to
commercial entities. Unfortunately, experience proves that this is not
necessarily the best outcome for service delivery. Often commercial entities
do not provide better services. The reality in many cases has been that
they deliver far fewer services and only at times and locations when it
is profitable to do so.
Where student organisations do engage in commercial activity it is at the
discretion of the democratically-elected student representatives thereby
ensuring that student monies are spent on commercial activities that students
want and need. Surpluses made through commercial activity is then put back
into the organisation to subsidise non-commercial activities like welfare
services and advocacy and representation services.
Ultimately, if market forces were to determine which services would be
offered students would find that they would be without those services that
are unprofitable - those very services that exist to help students complete
their studies and to diminish the emotional and personal cost of studying.
While there are many positive examples of private entities delivering quality
services that benefit students, the point is that not all of the services
that students may need while at university will be delivered through market
forces.
MYTH FOUR: Voluntary fee payments will create more efficiency and effectiveness
The basic argument is that when the fee is paid voluntary it will force student organisations to improve the quality of services provided on campus and when student organisations cannot take their customers (student members) for granted they will have to provide a better service or they will lose those customers (student members). This sounds like a very simple and straight forward argument but it does not illustrate the difficulty of any individual student making an informed assessment of the costs and benefits of membership at enrolment.
It is possible to calculate the value of some services, for example, interest
free emergency loans, student concessions and discounts, campus entertainment,
equipment hire and reduced on-campus gym fees. But it is far more difficult
to calculate the value of advice of academic problems, help on avoiding
preclusion, study skills or safe sex advice while other services are largely
unobserved and incalculable like lobbying for a new assessment policy,
more lighting at night in car parks or for more flexibility on essay deadlines.
Student organisations are therefore obliged to deliver as many services
as possible to ensure that they are able to afford students some sort of
insurance policy for the difficulties they may experience while at university
and to give students an opportunity to make life-long friends and connections
in a safe environment. Essentially student organisations are not able to
judge the level of patronage of any given service, which would allow them
to deliver services more efficiently and/or effectively.
Voluntary payment would only result in lower membership and therefore smaller
budgets to deliver services. It would not create more efficient and/or
effective services..
"The extracurricular activities provided by membership of a Students'
Union...provide the opportunity to develop skills in leadership, teamwork,
representation and social interaction which are invaluable to students
in their careers and in their roles as citizens"
Former ANU Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Terrell, 1999.
"The public character of the association is restricted in that it
could only be extended to those who voluntarily chose to become students
at that university."
Full Bench of the Victorian Supreme Court definitive ruling against so
called 'voluntary student unionism.'
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