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Compulsory membership no barrier to fee increases
Compulsory membership no barrier to huge fee increases
Media release: Student Choice, 11 May 2010
Tertiary institutions are currently increasing their student service fees despite claims that the introduction of voluntary membership of student unions would bring about such increases.
In the debate over the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill, the New Zealand University Students Association (NZUSA) has claimed that under voluntary membership “most institutions will raise their own fees to cover the missing services”. But within the last year, various institutions, all of which have compulsory student union membership, have increased their student service fees.
Student Choice has recorded
the following recent or planned increases in student service
fees:
Massey University, 2009 – recreation centre levy
increased from $37 to $62 per student
Canterbury
University, July 2009 – non-tuition fee increased from $85
to $533 plus gst
Victoria University, March 2010 –
student services levy increases 93 percent to $510 for
fulltime students, 200 percent for part-time
students
UCOL, April 2010 – student services levy
increases to $400 in 2011, and $500 in 2012
University of
Waikato, March 2010 – Nexus reports that UoW is
considering increasing its student services levy.
This shows that increases in student services fees are being driven by institutions’ attempts to recover costs and have nothing whatsoever to do with voluntary membership. NZUSA’s claims that student service levies will increase under voluntary membership is nothing more than scaremongering.
Student Choice supports the Freedom of Association bill to make membership of student unions voluntary.
ends
NZUSA - New Zealand Union of Students' Associations
We stand for opportunity, for all.
NZUSA is the New Zealand Union of Students' Associations, the national body that represents New Zealand's students' associations and the interests of New Zealand's 400,000 students at universities, polytechnics and in trades training.
We conduct original research, advocate to Government and through the media, and support New Zealand's students' associations to be more effective on behalf of their members. We advocate alongside Te Mana Akonga – The National Māori Students' Association, and Tertiary Women New Zealand – The NZUSA Women's Caucus.
Since 1929, we've believed in a society rich in opportunity, where anyone from anywhere can become any thing. We support accessible, affordable quality public tertiary education.
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