Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association

Media Release
Tuesday, 27 March 2007

AFML application shows lack of leadership at Victoria

The President of the Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association, Geoff Hayward sees yesterday's decision by the University Council to apply for an AFML exemption in Humanities, Architecture, Law and Education as a severe and systemic lack of leadership.

"Once again students will bear the brunt of a tactic that failed in 2005 and 2006. It seems that the University has forgotten that the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, while expecting different results", said Hayward

"VUWSA has asked the University to step up and work more closely with other stakeholders like VUWSA in campaigning directly to government, for their lack of funding. It has been a call left unanswered."

The AFML application requests that Victoria be permitted by the Government to raise fees for the second trimester of 2007 by 10% in the above faculties. While all current students would be exempt from the increase, next year students would be in effect paying up to 15% more for some courses than at the start of this year. Victoria has applied for the exemption twice; in 2005 and 2006, both failing to be approved.

"It is time to acknowledge that the strategy employed has not worked, and that it indicates an unwillingness to find other sources of revenue, by literally passing the buck to students. In fact, raising fees undermines the University's own strategic goals: erecting fiscal barriers for people from any background to get quality education. It's time to look at how the University can find revenue without breaking its own objectives¦it will only be a matter of time until Wellington is seen as an unfriendly city for students"

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