I write to you now as the new President of the ASA! It’s been quite a history for me and this position, having failed twice. This time round, running unopposed, I got in! So is that an achievement? I’d count it. However for me it feels like I have been made captain of a sinking ship. VSM passed on the same day as the election results were posted, adding a bit of a downer to the celebratory nature of the afternoon.
So what does is mean for 2012, for me, for Massey Albany, and for the ASA. Well firstly, Massey Albany, will be fine, the university is a strong and secure institution and will be here for years to come. Unlike the feeling you may have gotten from some election candidates, Massey does not need “saving” and it won’t be up to one person to do so IF it ever was in trouble. Same goes for the ASA, it will require hard work by more than one person to ensure that the ASA continues in the same capacity as it has for previous years. We are still awaiting clarity on what services we will be able to provide next year, and how they will be funded. Fortunately we have a good relationship with the university and they are very supportive of the work we do.
So what does this mean for you? Well not too much will change directly for you as students. Your fees have increased this year, and the ASA will continue to oppose fee increases. I have put in my nomination for Massey Council, a committee that we weren’t represented on this year, and that has great say in university policy for the year. Next year there will be the new Student Amenities Centre on the main campus, which will be a great resource social area for you as students.
The main thing you need to know is that your voice to the university has been greatly diminished by this new bill. And not only that, your voice NATIONALLY has been diminished. Now not many of you will have any care towards politics, which is fine. However you are all affected by the policies that the government enacts. The best thing you can do is to VOTE. Vote for anyone, vote for parties that hold the most interesting or relevant policies for you. I’m not telling you one party is better than the other, because every person is different. I am merely telling you to vote.
The youth vote is the one of the biggest apathetic groups in the nation. In fact in the last election, the number of youth voters who DIDNT vote, equated roughly to the gap between the 2 major parties votes. Essentially they youth voters who didn’t vote, could have determined the government we have now. The general election is on November 26. I highly urge to educate yourself and go out and vote. As for next year, I hope see many of you returning to Massey, and hope to see you around campus. It will be my ambition to be on campus as much as I am this year. My contact details are on the ASA website, and our offices will be in the new Student Amenities Centre. I hope next year that our campus population will be more energetic, involved and just as unique. I’m not walking into an easy job here. Hell I’m probably walking into an unpaid position, so for everyone who thought I was doing it purely for the paycheck, I’m afraid you were mistaken. I get involved because university is more than a degree factory. It’s more thank place you go to every day and then leave after class. It’s a place you make friendships that last forever. It’s a place you go not only to be taught something by someone, but where you actually LEARN something about the world. There are no tests or assigntments in the real world. No mark out of 50. It’s real. I got involved because I wanted experience in real world affairs. I wanted to know what its like to be responsible for something and to someone. I am responsible to you, Massey Albany, and I will try my best not to let you down.
Hopefully I have inspired youth get involved next year. Own your time at university. Don’t let yourself be owned by a student loan after your graduate, make it worth the money you are spending (and in some cases borrowing). We are the university.
As always, stay classy, I’ll be at the Ferg.
Stephan