Re: Voluntary Student Association Membership

craig — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 20:30:17 GMT

To add to this and Mikes comments

If the Voluntary Student Membership bill goes through it is likely that the club will have a severe reduction in VUWSA funding and we may have to pay for certain services on a user pays basis such at the club meeting venue. It is early days and none of this is in anyway definitive, to give an idea of what the club may need to do to stay afloat and the potential impact on club members the following may need to be considered:

· Significantly increase the annual membership fee (currently $20 for students)

· Charge for gear hire (currently free for club trips)

· Run club trips at a profit by increasing trip costs (curently they are on a cost recovery model)

Or a combination of 2 or 3 options above which would be a smaller increase on each item.

Voluntary Student Association Membership

Mikey — Fri, 26 Mar 2010 04:58:30 GMT

Hi All,

there is a bill that is being proposed to change the law around membership of students associations. Currently membership is compulsory. The bill proposes to make membership of the student's association voluntary. Voluntary membership will make it harder for the tramping club to get funds. Currently we receive $10 per student (non-students pay $30 instead of $20 for membership) and can apply for grants to buy gear which members can use on club trips. I understand last year we received approx $4000 from Vuwsa to purchase gear such as new ice axes,

The submission is written from the perspective that it will be much harder for the club to do what it does and offer what it does currently

The club is planning to put forward a submission, below. Let me know if you have any feedback positive or negative.

Alternatively, you can also write a submission of your own Follow the link.

http://www.parliament.nz/en-NZ/PB/SC/MakeSub/9/c/9/49SCES_SCF_00DBHOH_BILL9320_1-Education-Freedom-of-Association-Amendment.htm

Here is a link to the proposed policy.

http://www.salient.org.nz/_r/uploads/2009/08/Education-Freedom-of-Association-Amendment-Bill-0906-Douglas.pdf

Draft Submission

Committee Secretariat

Education and Science Select Committee

Parliament Buildings

Wellington

Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill.

Submission of the Victoria University Tramping Club

Contact: xyz, Secretary

02xxxxxx

We wish to be heard in person

About the Victoria University Tramping Club

Victoria University Tramping Club (VUWTC) is the second oldest tramping club in New Zealand, and has been in existence for 89 years.

VUWTC currently has around 170 members. It runs training courses in bushcraft, alpine skills and rock-climbing, and runs trips every weekend of the year. Over the last 89 years the club has produced many outstanding trampers and climbers who have taken their skills around the world.

The club relies on a small grant from the Students Association to keep membership subs very low. It also competes with other student clubs for contestable funding for equipment.

Comments on the Bill

VUWTC is opposed to the Bill and asks that the committee recommend that the Bill not be passed.

The Bill will deny students the opportunity to tramp and climb safely as part of a club

· The annual fee to be a member of the VUWTC is $20, of which $10 is paid to the Federated Mountain Clubs the national body for tramping and climbing clubs.

· Annual fees for other clubs in Wellington range from $50 to $100 and you often have to be nominated and approved before you can join the club.

· The VUWTC therefore offers a safe and inexpensive way for young people to discover the outdoors. Several years ago we put up the fee from $15 to $20 and met a very negative backlash from student members. We do not consider that the fee could go higher without a dramatic reduction in the number of members we have. Students will not join a more expensive club.

The VUWTC contributes a safe environment for younger people to tramp and climb

· Tramping and climbing can be expensive to undertake, and students face daunting costs for gear, especially specialist gear. The club has a well-stocked gear shed which it can provide from contestable grants from the Students Association. In the case of rock climbing and alpine instruction the gear is an essential safety requirement. The students and the club could not afford it without the support of the students association.

· In general, accidents and rescues involving trampers concern those operating outside of a club environment. The VUWTC therefore contributes a significant positive externality to society by providing the training and equipment for young people to undertake this activity safely.

Student levies are an economically efficient way to provide club services

· The small student levy provides a pool of funding that the students association can then allocate to clubs. At Victoria University the funding is allocated partially on a “bums on seats” basis and then on a contestable basis. This approach means that a large number of clubs can be established, and then the best run ones can thrive. With 89 years of history, the VUWTC is clearly one of the stronger student clubs.

· If the Bill is passed then the funding from the students association would dry up. The club would be forced to implement fees and charges. This would lead to a reduction in members and a reduction in the quality of services provided.

· Further, club officers would spend more time hunting for funding than developing their skills and passing those skills on to others. This will lead to less volunteers and consequently a poorer club. This is not economically efficient, as it passes the transaction costs on to those least able to absorb them.

Student Clubs promote a positive image of New Zealand

· The VUWTC caters to a large number of international students who wish to experience tramping in New Zealand. Thanks to our gear and excellent leadership development training we are able to safely cater to their needs. This leaves them with a positive enduring memory of New Zealand and out Tertiary institutions.

The VUWTC asks that you not recommend that this Bill gets passed. A huge number of positive benefits, and 89 years of history would be sacrificed for an economically inefficient ideological pursuit.

Victoria University Tramping Club

March 2010

General

Re: Voluntary Student Association Membership

Voluntary Student Association Membership