Well today everyone employed by the Student Union at UQ had the right to take half a day off to protest against the introduction of non-compulsory student fee paying. Originally the Union was planning on taking a full day off to show students what it would mean to have no Union as well as protest, but when certain people found out that they were planning that, and all were to still receive a full day's pay, they had to cancel. Considering two things, the fact that the Union staff received payment for their half-day leave to protest and that all the refec's around campus operate at a massive profit regardless of student fees, I am all for non-compulsory student fees.

Edit: Yeh sorry I mean VSU - voluntary student unionism

Strikers should not get paid.

I also paid alot of student union dues when I was at uni and I don't think ever once used a union service (the uni bar but its not cheaper then other options), so I am cool with the idea of voluntary unionism at uni. Might actually force the unions to actually provide value for money services.

you realise that when VSU (voluntary student union) or as u say non-compulsory student fees comes in then its gonna change the uni in more ways then you probably know.

The funding that the union gets is going to drop dramatically which is obvious, this alone will cause the loss of 7000 jobs australia wide.

As well as this, at UQ alone we will lose:

- the red room
- the UQ sport gym
- the pizza cafe
- all the refecs except the main one
- Market Day and Orientation week
- and most of the gigs and stuff which come to uni


are u still all for VSU?

cos im certainly opposed to it, but with liberal having overwhelming power in the senate, there is no opposition to stop these things.

you realise that when VSU (voluntary student union) or as u say non-compulsory student fees comes in then its gonna change the uni in more ways then you probably know.

Yeah maybe now they can start sacking the majprity of useless, incompetent, redunant people that they employed.

lollers

So you admit that no one wants those services? Because if people wanted them, they would pay.

Heres my proposal:

Everyone pays a minimum fee to the union for basic services. Lets call it a BRONZE pass.

If you wish to use more services, like recreational facilities, you can pay more and buy a SILVER pass.

If you want access to the uni bar, cheaper food and all the rest, you can pay the full amount and get a GOLD pass.

That way the union still gets some money rolling in, and people who WANT to use the services can pay for them.

you're not serious are you Jabroney?

please tell me that ur kidding that anyone actually gives a rats batooty about market day or O-week. And how often is it that you visit the red room, or pizza cafe of go to the gym etc.
I'm glad that I wont have to be paying $150 a year now to see none of it benefiting me. the only thing that i would continue to pay for wud be to keep the legal services and that type of thing available for peeps who are struggling.

I like ur take on it XandraX.

May I ask what the UQ ameneties/union fees are?

I have to say, for me I had to say "big deal" when I heard about it not being allowed. But then I realised shortly after, that's because I'm a Swinburne student. You see, I found out that many Uni's charge over $500 per semester in fees, most of which is these union fees!

At Swinburne, ours are, wait for it...

AUD82.00/semester.

Oh noes!
That includes the uni's administrative fees, all union fees, etc etc.

In other words, it's going to me f*** all difference to the unions/clubs at Swinburne. SSU are pretty much self-sufficient on things like the Cafes and lounges, they bring in enough funds to support stuff.

Monash Berwick is only $90/semester, but I think Clayton is around $190... but as I understand, Melbourne is more than $500/semester. Sucks to be them :)

But yeah. What do UQ and QUT charge?

Mine is $35 per semester at QUT only because, I'm part-time. For full time I think it's $70 or $75 I can't remember.

i go to the fkn red room everyday. how bout u guys stop sitting in ya little library and actually get into the community and stuff at the uni and u might actually like it. start joining the clubs, or maybe even go to the pub, heaven forbid

Jabroney stop kidding yourself, the good services will continue the bulls*** ones like the "Paradise Beach Appreciation society" and other college based excuses to get funding for a keg will get the ass.

UQ gym for instance is a commerical proposition they make money out of non union people already.

And services will be provided only to members or on a user pays system. Sounds good to me.

I am of left wing political persuasions but voluntary student unionism makes sense with all small "l" liberal and pinko tree hugging money wasters at unis.

redunant people that they employed

can you explain how a redundant person can be employed?

please tell me that ur kidding that anyone actually gives a rats batooty about market day or O-week. And how often is it that you visit the red room, or pizza cafe of go to the gym etc.

do you go into the red room much during the week? or the gym? it's f***ing PACKED...don't say no one gives a rats.


purely because you socially incompetent c***s who don't use the university facilities through lack of friends or your xenophobic nature does not give you the right to enter into this discussion


its a university, i for one appreciate the fact that i can grab a beer in between classes, that i have access to an affordable, fully equipped and staffed gym. i appreciate the work that the student union does for me as a student.

i go to the fkn red room everyday. how bout u guys stop sitting in ya little library

heh only if they actually spend more money improving the library and PC labs rather than waste it on silly social things like bar and stuff I'd be more than happy to pay it. I thought the main reason people went to Uni is to 1) Study then maybe 2) Socialise, it would seem that for a lot of people the latter seems to matter more.

I'm a part-time students, I don't care to socilise within the University environment so why should I have to pay for it?. The way I see it you get what you pay for, if you don't want to use any of it you shouldn't have to pay, that's why I think XandraX is a good one.

last edited by Opec at 14:42:30 28/Apr/05

Jabroney, the Red Room charge heaps for alcohol and food... more so than most other pubs. If they stopped paying fagget DJ's to play during lunch and dinner then they might make a profit.

Like I said in my first post, the refec operates at a profit regardless of student fees. To use the gym I have to pay rediculous amounts anywhere that are equal to most other gyms around Brisbane, although I think they are important I don't really give a s*** about being proactive about gay rights and shouldn't have to pay for other people to do so.

Market day? Do you mean all Wednesdays or jsut the one during O week? I think O-week is very important, but would be quite surprised if UQ lost heaps of money that would drive them into debt.

redunant people that they employed

can you explain how a redundant person can be employed?

Have you ever worked at the Unis or Gov. agencies ? If you have you'd know how they solved the problem with the people who are completely incompetent (yet you can't sack them because of Unions etc) -- they are redundant so they just hire more people to cover them. Hence it's like employing a reduandent person in my opinion.

Mine is $35 per semester at QUT only because, I'm part-time. For full time I think it's $70 or $75 I can't remember.

It was $121 for me and I'm pretty sure that was only for the semester, I'm fulltime btw.

i go to the fkn red room everyday. how bout u guys stop sitting in ya little library and actually get into the community and stuff at the uni and u might actually like it. start joining the clubs, or maybe even go to the pub, heaven forbid

I don't know what the red room is at UQ but at QUT there are these Queer spaces and women's spaces which are rooms just for queers and women. Don't think I'd be getting much use out of them.

I agree with XandraX with the pay for what you use scheme cept the bar should be in the entry level :P.

But I think the bar can be used by anybody can't it? Not just uni students?

Pillsy, I have been at UQ for quite a while now and use, or have used a lot of facilities: pool, gym, social sports, lunchtime sports, clubs and societies, college balls, Red Room (often) and I'm sure a heap of other things I can't think of. I think someone needs to get their hands on some facts and figures that would help us argue one way or another, because I think for most people it seems like the majority are paying for the minority.

Also, the awesome UQ-BCC deal is private and seperate to the Union, it will not be affected.

well said obes
for some of us Jabba, we are trying to make a point of using the libraries so as to get good marks so that when we graduate (whoopiee, this year), we can get a job easier, caus u see, that little GPA number thingi, means a fair bit to employers. And what is so wrong about not getting involved in the uni community? Maybe I should go and sign up for the chocolate appreciation society tomorrow then hey? the majority of the clubs are a joke, and to think that 17000 UQ students pay for these clubs is appauling.

by all means, pay ur money, but thats why they are making it voluntary. so quit ur "the Uni is going to fall apart" speech, caus it's not going to. UQ rape and pillage students enough with hecs to run about 20 unis and still make a profit.

HAH I jsut tried to go to the red room website to give an example of how much they charge for food but got this:
http://www.uqu.uq.edu.au/vsu_web.gif
Wonder how much someone got paid to make that so us student fee paying students can't access the site?

Mine is $35 per semester at QUT only because, I'm part-time. For full time I think it's $70 or $75 I can't remember.

It was $121 for me and I'm pretty sure that was only for the semester, I'm fulltime btw.

Ok mine must be about $75 or something then, I just HECS fees pay up front and I don't really look at each break down closely.

the red room and other such business's at uni dont make a profit and therefor can't stay open at the uni with the introduction of VSU.

this is solely contributed to the fact that they only are open for 8 months of the year, +most of their funding comes from the union, which will be lost with VSU.

ahhh well, no point arguing about it, vsu is coming like it or not :(

lol

Oh no not the website!

ahhh well, no point arguing about it, vsu is coming like it or not :(

That's the thing... yes it is definately coming, yet we are still paying these f***ers to strike against it, proving it should be voluntary.

last edited by Hardball, Billy at 14:51:08 28/Apr/05

let em do wat they want man, it's their jobs that they are losing not urs

It's my money.

yeah i can see where you are coming from jaborney, not.
yeah, lets pay for people to strike even though they are getting payed for stiking. yeah, thats what i go to work for inbetween studying, to pay for people who arent working.

yeah i can see where you are coming from jaborney, not.
yeah, lets pay for people to strike even though they are getting payed for stiking. yeah, thats what i go to work for inbetween studying, to pay for people who arent working. that makes sense man :)

damn library computers. never work properly

can you explain how a redundant person can be employed?

Easily... it means you have more then 1 person doing the same job when 1 person is needed. See the public service for prime examples of this.

purely because you socially incompetent c***s who don't use the university facilities through lack of friends or your xenophobic nature does not give you the right to enter into this discussion

If so many people use it then surely it will survive even with voluntary unionism, if it doesn't then well perhaps you need to elect a different student union or maybe it wasn't viable.

Wouldn't it be cool if you union fees went down, becuase non viable crap and pointless fringe s*** got the ass and only the viable stuff (and it sounds like the viable and desirable stuff is what you want) remained ?

I normally pay around $130 a semester at griffith. This semester I'm only doing 3 subjects instead of the usual 6 and it's half price. I never realised you pay less for doing less subjects. imo that's a load of crap. I doubt we use double the amount of union services than the slack arts or whatever students doing 3 or 4 subjects a semester.

I guess they ASSUME that you will be at the university less, therefore not using the stuff as often. When I was doing my first degree and doing 5 subjects sometimes, I probably was still only going as much as people doing 1 or 2 subjects.

they are not geting rid of the unuion they just bring it in line with other unions "non-compulsory" I pay 350$ a year in union fees and not once have I called them or spoken to them in anyway. But I am so glad that it is a group of pears that will help me in any way they can if i get into any troubble.

From a post about this on another forum:

Being a staff member at a student union, I have a little insight into whats really at stake.

The stuff like Taverns (wheee!) , Sports clubs, nerdy card player clubs, etc are the icing on the cake. The fun stuff.

What most folks dont see is the stuff in the background. The stuff where I end up in infernal meetings all fscuking day explaining to some administrative pinhead why cancelling a course midway thru it with 300 students just isnt cool or the stuff where the uni decides "Hey lets impose a $1000 fee for xxx per student for , er, something." and we have to go in and get funky on them because none of you kids can afford it. And most students dont see the 'big' victories of the past. Like where 5 years ago we talked the university out of canning 80% of all its courses. (I mean f***, what is a university without philosophy or physics. Its called "Tafe".). Theres just so much that goes on with the primary purpose of the unions to make sure you folks all get the service you actually are paying for.

Of course there are the student hacks that sort of try and hijack it for dodgy political purposes, but generally speaking you are paying verry little for said assclowns and most goes towards the good stuff, like making uni good (This is where the actual staff of these places rock.)

Seriously, I know at my uni, if this comes in I'm unemployed next year, and thats f***ing sad, because I've put years into making sure the students get thru the year with passes, a smile on there face and the knowledge that SOMEONE is looking for there back. Some of my workmates have been at it for twenty years. Sadly its almost certain if this fscking law gets pass the senate, in no uncertain terms: Uni students WILL be f***ed hard.

Now as to the fees. I'll be honest, they can be a pain at times, and for sure not everyone uses all the services (but they all are recipients of a better education due to the student unions). But this is just parallell really to council rates. Not everyone uses the parks, or the sports bars, but sure as hell the community is better for the fact they are there.

so yeah, there is a lot of stuff the union does behind the scenes that most of you pro-VSU ppl aren't aware of.

It's interesting that no one knows about them if they are so important.

Funny how all the union people admit that if people were given the choice, the union wouldn't exist.

http://members.optusnet.com.au/xandrax/webshutdown2.jpg


last edited by XandraX at 15:39:18 28/Apr/05

last edited by XandraX at 15:43:34 28/Apr/05

It's interesting that no one knows about them if they are so important.

probably because the student union hasn't had any reason to shout it to the world until now, they were just doing their job.

Just becasue you and your friends don't know, doesn't mean nobody does.

I'd happily pay my union fees if I thought I was getting something out of it - but each time I go to the union-run refecs, etc, I don't feel like I'm getting any sort of deal that I couldn't have gotten anywhere else. s***, I'd RATHER drive to subway and pay for a $5 student meal.

so why dont u?

Yeah and the QUT stuff about not being able to apeal is BS.

Currently in IT its handeled internally, infact in I.T. i don't see any of these hippies. I wish this had happened earlier :(

I had an argument with a chick today outside the bakery at uq cause she wasn't gonna let me eat. Even though I'm not a student anymore I still think union fee's should be compulsary simply because I know I wouldn't pay if they were voluntary. And saying that they sack useless staff is kinda pointless cause they would have to spend more money to set up a user pays system that they could enforce. And while I didnt use any of the support systems within the uni the fact that they are there incase something had of gone wrong is something I'm not too upset about paying for.

im at griffith gold coast.. we have a $110 or $120 student fee.. i really dont mind it but then i also use a lot of student services and facilities, and im v.p. of the tennis club - half our funding comes from the student fees. I'll probably continue to pay it next semester, but its going to be interesting to see what happens when the uni looses several hundred thousand dollars in funding.

i think a lot of people may be surprised at just how many benefits they are getting from the student guild that they arent even aware of..

did ya want another cream cake fireman sam?

Mine is $35 per semester at QUT only because, I'm part-time. For full time I think it's $70 or $75 I can't remember.

It's $120.

Also, the Guild Bar at QUT Kelvin Grove is sponsored by Coca Cola and other various product companies, I think they could get by without the union fees and still make profit.

last edited by Loki at 16:50:01 28/Apr/05

I worked as a DJ for The Club (original name eh?) at JCU and therefore worked for the JCU student union. Even so, i believe in a user pay system. I worked hard to get The Club to not only become a profitable exercise but so profitable it supplimented many other non-profit groups under the union banner. If a small university like JCU can do it, why not these big-ass uni's.
And as for not letting people know what else these Unions do, it is there own fault for letting these Femnazi Trisexual Eskimo Support Groups (FTESG's) take the agenda and go wide with it....VEEERY wide in some cases.

Screw the refecs.

When I spent a weekend at the UNSW they had much better food on campus and directly across from one of the campus entrances was Pizza hut, maccas etc. I'd much rather not pay union fee's and walk over the road and get fastfood of a much higher standard than the arse served at refecs.

Bye whore union. I would be very happy if my money now didnt go to some deads*** that sits around in an office all day looking up porn to fill in time. The union really does nothing for me and most of the money I pay gets raked back to St Lucia.

last edited by shad at 17:01:56 28/Apr/05

As well as this, at UQ alone we will lose:

Not as much as UQ-Union suggests it will.

- the red room

Why it makes a profit?

- the UQ sport gym

Firstly why do you care? It charges practically the same amount that Toowong fitness does, and you have to pay student fees for it.

Also f*** all of your student fee's go into the actual Gym. More along the lines of paying elite athletes to go compete internationally so UQ can say they have some.

- the pizza cafe

Why it makes a huge profit?

- all the refecs except the main one

They all make mad profits.

- Market Day and Orientation week

They double their investment each O week

- and most of the gigs and stuff which come to uni

Maybe if they are totally free gigs.

--

Anyway, you missed the real reason that students should be worried about vsu.

Representation.

All of that other s*** you mentioned is just fluff.

the red room runs at a $200k loss each year, ya penis pump

I have used the student union only once when I had an enrolment issue that almost got me kicked out of uni.. And for that I am happy that I had a student union.

I belive yes it is important but on the other hand it should be volentry.

If the student union is worried that it will lose alot of funding then they should give a real reason why you should pay the fees, and not crap like the bar, gym etc.....

I am all for the union but get me a reason to join....

Typo, Jab, where you guys getting this stuff from? (not doubting just want references...)

then why isn't anyone asking
1. Why is it running at such a loss?
2. How can it be fixed?

If this change is coming and is innevitable as you say, these questions are going to have to be asked and answered sooner rather than later.

The Red Room isn't cheap. The only way I can see them losing money is because of lisencing and over-staffing... oh... and like I said, paying fagget DJ's heaps of money to stand their and push buttons on mixers etc.

i know ppl from the union and red room.

kinda involved but not really

this is solely contributed to the fact that they only are open for 8 months of the year, +most of their funding comes from the union, which will be lost with VSU.

You just read that little slip of paper and believed every word of it didn't you.

Student Union politions generally don't give two flying f***s about real students, just students who are interested in student politics.

I will be more than happy to pay my Student Union fee's if only as a 'just in case I need representation' part. I don't want to pay for Athletes to have a 'fun' time in Bali at the end of the year.

And that's the point, the perceived value of the union is negligable for me. If someone hadn't have told me the union was going to strike today I would have never known.

If they had a small fee just for representation I would pay for that. But I hate to see my money pissed away on s*** that has no relavance to me at all.

yea the red room by law has to do certain things:

they have to be open till a certian time at nite, even when there is no-one there.
they have to be open weekends - when there is fukall ppl there
so they are only really open for business during the semester during a week day. which isnt enough to maintain a viable business

fuk just leave it now guys, it doesnt matter anymore, no point arguing, like i said before its coming whether ya like it or not.

As if a buisness as small as the red room would keep running if they were losing 200K a year. Jab, ur a penis pump, ur making this crap up, caus if they were running a 200K loss a year, not only would the union be totally in debt, but there would need to be some serious funding from somewhere to keep it going.

200K a year in loss is a hell of a lot of money. how the hell could a place be losing that much. ur full of it jabba

I used to be all for VSU, but in the last few months I really did think about how much they do for the students at UQ.

I use the gym at uni at $360 a year. The next cheapest gym I could find available to me was $630 a year. Wow, that's a $270 saving. Kind of justifies my $130 student fee straight off.

I've used their accomodation services to find new roommates, looked for jobs through their employment services, and sat comfortably in the Holt room chairs on many a tiring day. I've been entertained by local bands and enjoyed numerous activities provided by recreation.

That's just things I use, I shudder to think how some peoples lives might be affected by the loss of things like legal aid and counselling.


Just because you don't use these major services explicitly, means two things. One, you probably don't appreciate what is being done for you. Two, you accessing the full extent of your university resources.

Just find someone who's been to university in WA, where VSU was passed several years ago. Yeah, they're all for it!

Then perhaps this Red Room should apply for a Caberet liscence and get an extended liscence for special times (o-week etc etc)
Smart buisnesses can work around such problems. Buisnesses that get money thrown at them (fee's) don't have the need therefore the desire to find solutions.

also, thats a great call typo

i read that comment of penis pumping jabba and rofl as i had only picked up one of those bits of paper yesterday from a refec to have a read and to see what crap they were spinning.

sure looks like jabba can pull original material together. lol

N-Dude that is great and it is good to see that you get great use from the union services. The point that i think you and a lot of others miss is that they aren't abolishing the union and it's services!! It becomes voluntary, so that everyone gets a choice whether to belong or not.

As for the people that whinge that some services will dissapear and become crap, well those services should have existed in the first place on a demand basis. In other words, if there is a demand for said services then there is bound to be someone paying for it and it will continue.

Cafeterias and bars etc. should be run on campus as businesses and you'll see the cost come down and patronage going up. If not, students will go to Subway like Trog said or to Dooleys around the block or whatever.

If you had to drive 1 hour from St lucia to use the red room would you think that it was worth it? Think about the people who dont go to St Lucia but who are still part of UQ who get ass f***ed constantly by the union.

If you feel you get good value from the union then by all means keep on paying fee's. Just dont be supprised when people who get no benefit stop paying.

Typo, Jab, where you guys getting this stuff from? (not doubting just want references...)

One of my best friends was last years Ipswich Student Rep for the Student Union.

N-Dude is that the markup at UQ for non students?

I like the better part where it was compulsory and if you didn't pay, they kicked you out of uni... f***ers.

Just because you don't use these major services explicitly, means two things. One, you probably don't appreciate what is being done for you.

Or maybe I don't appreciate what is being done for other people. I can live with the queer room and the womens room (which is an extra queer room but for girls, most girls I know at UQ have never been in there), but UQ sports can suck my balls.

Two, you accessing the full extent of your university resources.

Who does access the full extend of a universities resources? Nobody.

hahaha
student unions useful?!?!?!

hahahahahahah

i wish there had been voluntary payment options when i was around, so i didnt have to fund the student unions party, beer and pizza nites (for themselves)

my mates brothers friends were all in teh student union back in the 90s at uq and they rorted it up massivley

I *think* the markup is somewhere between $70 and $150, I don't remember (I wasn't paying attention to that section).

The point I was trying to make was that if they abolish the union, it doesn't matter whether I pay or not, I won't have that service available. I fully understand the desire to abolish the fees, 'cos I don't want to pay that money. But what I came to conclude is that the union makes university less of a location for study, and more of a way of life. I've accepted the loss of all of these things already, but I just pity all the new people who come to Uni in the next few years. Not only will they incur a 25% increase in what they're paying, but they'll have less and less facilities.

I like the analogy to the council rates, but generalize it to tax. If tax wasn't compulsory, no-one would pay it. "But I don't use the roads, or the policemen, or the hospitals."

But it's f***ing reassuring to know they're there.

I'm not in the position to comment on what the student unions do or don't, however I am quite interested to see what does happen... The next year or so should be interesting for onlookers. I can't wait till the s*** and the fan interact.

its already hit the fan. fees are voluntary from next year on. any uni that makes em compusory will be fined heavily.

N-dude, wtf are you on man.
what is there reassuring about having a student union? and how the hell can u compare it to police etc. that is a really really bad analogy. its not like the union is here to save your life.

yes i agree with you that legal services and the such are important, but as for the other stuff being reassuring, ur dreaming.

Man i'm glad I voted for the Libs.

About time i say.

"Just because you don't use these major services explicitly, means two things. One, you probably don't appreciate what is being done for you. Two, you accessing the full extent of your university resources. "

Once again for years the silent majority has paid for the whims of the vocal minority. Sure, its great to know legal aid exists for the 1% of uni people, but why should everyone else pay for them? When i got into legal troubles 2 years ago, the union certainly didnt go into bat for me - the legal office thoroughly incompetent - only open for 2 hrs on a tuesday, so i rock up during that window of opportunity... and they aren't even there!. I sussed out my own private legal aid and felt much better about it.

The student union can wither and die for all i care. I see no difference between any merchant on campus to any merchant off campus. In fact, if anything, merchants off campus offer me better deals.

Ok mine must be about $75 or something then, I just HECS fees pay up front and I don't really look at each break down closely.

Hahah. yeah, those of us who can afford to pay HECS upfront don't tend to care about an extra $75 :)

$75 is like my weekly lunch bill, so pft :)

Isn't the safety bus run by the union?
(or i heard was setup/funded by the womens club which is a union club)

I assume these kinds of free/helpful services will dissappear or somewhat be stunted?

Im all for not paying for stuff i dont use, but there are some things that are when the "sht hits the fan" i'd like to be there. And seeing as we can't really choose where the money is directed to, i'd rather not risk loosing these services.

Maybe we SHOULD be able to choose where the money is directed. BY PAYING FOR IT OURSELVES.

without the initial funding, most of the current services would still be just "good ideas"

If you really cared about getting the most out of your union fee's in terms of service wise, you guys probably should've voted during the union elections?
I dont think the right wing has been in power in like 5 years or so? (last time i checked).

The great vice of democracy

A vice which is exacting bitter retribution from it at this moment - Is that for so long we have been too busy getting ourselves on the list of beneficiaries and removing ourselves from the list contributors, as if somewhere there is somebody else's wealth and somebody else's effort on which we could thrive.

The point is, at the the most the student union fees are approx $240 for two fulltime semesters per year. What does this equate to in real money? 2 maybe 3 nights out? A couple sticks of ram? a hooker for an hour or so? Its nothing. But with it, so many facilities and future services will nolonger be able to be accessed in years to come, you might choose not to use these services but if they are no longer open, there wont be a choice for the future students. And don't f***ing lie, everyone in there first year at uni enjoyed going to the red room and if you didnt its because you have spent to much time being a loser.

"Student organizations provide a lot more than just a diary"

I didn't even get a diary! YOU BASTARDS!!!!!!!!

As for voting in the elections, the QUT Student Union never informs me when they are on. It's basically roulette as to whether I get the chance to vote or not. Every other organization I'm a member of sends me a letter in the mail when they have proposals or executives to vote for. I'm sure this just part of the vast union conspiracy to keep the plebs from voting.

right... so everyone that has a focus that is bigger than getting through their degree while trying to have some fun also, is a loser.

i resent your comment, and this is where people who work their gutz out, get pissed off in years to come.
in 15 years time, i will be a fully qualified brain surgeon hopefully, and it is not going to have happened by going to the red room.
people will then be jealous that i will be a succesful biatch with all the trimmings and will not have looked at what i had to do to get there.

quite frankly,im looking forward to in 15 years time when i am comfortable, have a nice place, a family, and a freaking awesome job which i am going to love doing for 30 years, and can look at people like you who say "u didnt go to the red room, therefore ur a loser", and just laugh.

As for voting in the elections, the QUT Student Union never informs me when they are on.

I think less than 5% of the student population actually vote.

bzpro - you're a twat - here's why:

"this is where people who work their gutz out, get pissed off in years to come.
in 15 years time, i will be a fully qualified brain surgeon ......
and can look at people like you who say "u didnt go to the red room, therefore ur a loser", and just laugh."

...get pissed off ...
...and just laugh ...

What are you saying? are you going to laugh in years to come or get pissed off? i have a theory.

You'll probably laugh and cry at the same time - you might have a rad place, rad car, but who are you going to share this with? you wont have friends because while you were off spending your spare time reviewing next years biology notes, most other ppl were out plainly enjoying themselves while being young. So after 12-15years of study you'll be in your 30's and with you concentrating so hard just to earn your own respect no one elses, approx 45% of your life is a complete waste and you'll still have no cash yet. somebody doing a diploma of leisure management at yerongapilly tafe will have been in the worforce for 10 years, already be paying off real estate and raising a family.

I mean s*** you'll really have to hurry thru some paper work for your mail order bride because face it, your in your mid 30's, how many kids to you want?
you'll be mid 50's when there are out of high school, first bit of freedom and your old enough for grandchildren. what kind of a f***ing life? and you didnt even have a f***ing beer at uni????? and because of your ignorance your children won't be able to drink at uni, you happy? get a f***ing life before its too late gramps!

just for your fukin information.....
i already have 1 house which is positively geared (putting it simply for you dumbass means its paying itself off), i have a fiance, and oh yeah, i almost forgot, i have friends who aren't twats. who gives a fuk if some people in this world think that a bit of sensibilty and sophistication is alright. i find it more than amusing that you think you need to have had a beer in life to have lived at all. there are a lot of people who can create their own fun without having to have a beer mate. and it will also amuse me when you are the 70 year old with no brain left wishing you shouldnt have drunk beer caus ur now a vegetable and cant do anything for yourself.

grow up dikknob, have some respect for the people who will be keeping bastards like you alive in years to come (who knows, u could be on my operating table one day, now isnt that scary)

Sorry bzpro but you just confirmed that you're a twat. You won't be keeping anyone alive buddy. Such arrogance is typical.

VSU is really going to piss the hippies off. The only thing that could make it better is if Beattie drags Sir Joh from his coffin and puts him in charge of beatting on the hippies when they next protest.

also, who says that you cant have any fun after age fifty?
also, who cares what job you have as long as you enjoy it?

yeah u can go and get ur leisure diploma, or whatever career you choose to take and i'l respect that fully. its all about the job satisfaction my friend.

why does it mean that if i study, i cant have kids, a family, a house?
ur pulling s*** outta ur mouth that makes no sense whatsoever. (where did u pull the crap outta your mouth that i'm not going to have any cash at 45 from? more than likely, i will have amassed more cash than you would have in your entire career by then)

i dont think iv ever come across any literature that states that studying is a contraceptive, that it means ur single, or that u cant have friends.

I was living in hope that Joh's police come out of retirement to crack some union head outside his funereal. That would be a fitting tribute.

Hey guys I've some left over black uniforms and jackboots, you want some? Or would you prefer pillow cases with eye holes? Maybe some balaclavas?

Because there is nothing authoritarian about compulsory student unionism...

last edited by hast at 20:27:00 28/Apr/05

f*** off pilsy, who are you to judge him. if thats what he wants, let him do it. i think if you check, you'll find its his life and he can do whatever he wants with it.

hey hunter,
sorry if it sounded arrogant man.
i was just fed up with pillsy.

seriously, i would not choose to go down this road of "wasting" 45% of my life as he puts it, to get out and be arrogant. i want to help people.
i would have chosen another career if i wasnt going to enjoy it.

Cheers Tuco

last edited by bzpro at 20:29:13 28/Apr/05

aha nice hast

back on topic,

I think the problem really lies in where our union fee's are going to.
If we had a right wing group in control we'd see alot more 'useful' services appearing (depending on what you might define as useful) instead of gay/lesb rooms.

I remember hearing about griffiths right wing party gaining power? And they were lanning it up or something along those lines (upgrading facilities? well something useful i can't quite remember)

i use cheap photocopying and i also use cheap pho... oh wait :/

I'm a caucasian white male. I'm not gay, lesbian, bi, beaten by my wife or husband, retarded and in need of special services, comitted crime and in need of legal representation nor am I unhealthy and require the services which my uni probably provides.

So, right, why do I pay $250 a semester again?

so that other people can enjoy them man :)

The "right wing" is just as likely to piss the money away on useless s*** that appeals to only a subset of the student body. The money is best spent by the students themselves.

Bzpro ... Buy a shift key please.

Hast, if say what you suggest goes ahead any everyman for themselves - do you think anyone will ever be able to fill the shoes of the union? providing food/free safeybus/local pub/gigs and events/social events by themselves?

What if people actually want these things to happen? Its unrealistic if you think that a non recognised individual would be able to create such services.

so that other people can enjoy them man :)

Pass.

VSU all the way

its all good bzpro, dont take notice of these people. You live your life the way that YOU want to.

I have a wicked GF, i go out every 2-3rd week. And i have the most awesome group of friends. Yet i dont go to the pub at uni and drink.....and i dont use the social things at uni. Because well half the time i think the people are idiots. Everyones entitled to their own opinion but why the f*** should i pay for some hippy to go protest. I am all up for student representation etc...but f*** the extra groups and s*** off. Ill gladly pay 50-60 bucks a semester if it means i get my representation and not pay for some minority groups to have their say.

There is nothing stopping students from pooling their resources together to purchase things. If you and enough people like the old system then student unionism will live on through voluntary contributions. I think things will change though because people will realise they can get more bang for their buck without the hangers on and the other associated political bulls*** that comes with student unionism.

If we had a right wing group in control we'd see alot more 'useful' services appearing

That is utter s***. Do they cut back on the crap only a few people use - yes. Do they add more crap only a few people use - yes. What's more, the left wing student union tickets generally know they have no real future in high level politics. The right wing don't know they have no future in politics so they allow themselves to be bent over by political power brokers behind the scenes and when it's all said and done suddenly feel all cheap and dirty. That means people from the right wing are much more likely to sell their soul and you out, it's part of their ideology to get ahead (unfortunately they are usually too dumb to know they are being used).

As far as I'm concerned student politics can be left to the people that want a quick power fix but have no real political future, having said that the representation they provide is invaluable. VSU will have a lasting negative effect on uni as the students won't have a voice with power behind it and services will fall by the side (many union "businesses" run at a loss without subsidies because they have grow to be dependent on them and therefore are run poorly - unfortunately it is easier for universities to shut them down instead of impelement good management strategies). The crap the union currently does is a side-effect we just have to put up with in order to get the benefits... hell that's just a sloppier version of other levels of politics anyway.

P.S. I'm speaking generally here, I know there are some exceptions to many of my points.

O NO

With VSU those poor souls at High Society wont get partial funding to sell weed on campus ground! What is Nigal going to do now?


O NO

Those student execs wont get stupidly large bar tabs for their meetings! Nor will they have any union fees to fund useless meeting trips to New Zeland!

O NO
Now the people who WANT to do sports at Uni will have to fund it themselves not rely on other poor students to fund them even though they have absolutly no interest in it!

ARRRRG what are we gunna do, the majority of people wont have to pay for stuff they dont want, how UNFAIR is that!

O and those pesky anti-government rallies/newspapers wont be easily funded anymore. Now that is damage control ++.

Nice one tollazor, top post

stopped reading half way down, but i can say that the unions are bs, i was paying about 125 a semester at GU, and it got me f***ing nothing, cept maybe concerts with bands i don't like.

the drinks at the pub weren't cheap, and you had to pay for a card to get them cheap!

frankly, if the buisness's these fee's prop up can't survive on their own, then it's because it's either being run incompetently, or no one is using it. to either point, why the f*** should students pay for it who don't use it at all.

cry about your red room, if it's really such a popular place with you and all your cool friends, then it should survive as a private entity.

they can't turn a profit because they only operate 8 months a year ? wow, for those 8 months they have their primary target audienec in the thousands at their front door.

i didnt pay my student fees.

nothing happened.

whats up?

i didnt pay my student fees.

nothing happened.

whats up?

in a few weeks time your online access s*** will be cut off

giri remember when VSU was in vogue last time and the bunch of tards involved in those protests chained off student administration instead of the uni admin since they'd get arrested? How f***ing stupid was that, stuffing the students over, and coincidently on the last day to cancel enrolment of subjects? That little adventure nearly cost me $500 in a subject I never took.