‘We want our money back’ say aggrieved Whitireia students
Aug 16th, 2010 | By Newswire Team | Category: News
STUDENT OUTRAGE: Students at today's meeting.
By Sam Guzzo and Alice Petrie
Whitireia Polytechnic students are outraged about alleged misuse of their funds, some told a special meeting called by the student association yesterday (Monday).
Allegations against two of the students’ association executive were greeted with disbelief by Leonte Prince, a student studying early childhood education at the Porirua campus.
“We want our money back,” she said. “This could deter people from employing us.”
Another frustrated education student, Nicole Murdoch, said it will impact on her career. She did not realise paying association fees was compulsory.
“I think this made all of us – the students – look bad,” she says.
IT student representative Ibrahim Raouf-Morton (left) told students, executive and media there are issues about the election held in March 31.
He insisted acting president Tim Manu step down.
“We need this executive to step down. We are calling for democracy and fair elections. Re-elections are what we need.”
Mr Manu (right) said the campus should unite and work together to solve the issues.
Defending the members of the Whitireia Independent Students Association team, he repeatedly said he and the team had been working on the issues for the past five months.
They approached the police, but were told nothing could be done.
He told NewsWire he and colleagues gathered evidence, then went back to police on July 20.
Today’s meeting erupted into disagreement and shouting between the student audience and the executive members, about what the next best step will be for the association.
At one point Mr Manu told Mr Raouf-Morton: “We’re not in a middle-eastern war here.”
Further shouting followed between Mr Raouf-Morton and Mr Manu.
Mr Manu told the crowd anyone who wished to could go to a meeting on Thursday, on the issue and possible resolutions.
He encouraged “some members to stand again” for the next election.
He said an association policy to police-check incoming executive members had not been followed. This would be among discussions to be held between the association and the polytech, he said.
The association executive has called in Association of Students at UCOL president Jo Hymers to help resolve the problems.
Whitireia Polytechnic deputy CEO Arthur Graves told the meeting the polytech was there to support the students, “but you need to make the decisions”.
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Hi there,
I am furious about the theft of our money that was trusted with the Student Association. The majority of my collegues struggled to pay these compulsory fees and I think the Association needs to reimburse the students as the money has quite clearly not gone to what WE believed it was collected for. I understand this selfish and disgusting behaviour is not of all Association members but take the rap for it and pay back the student from last year and this year to keep Whitireia’s name clean and honorable. We worked hard to get our qualification and are proud to be Whitireia students, but this could tarnish Whitireia’s name and our loyalty…….word of mouth can be harsh……
Come on…..step up and make things right for the students…..its their money!
Angela
Hi all,
Thought I should clarify that I’m Jo Hymers and I am not the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA) President, I am the President of the Association of Students at UCOL (AS@U) and chair meetings for the Institutes of Technology and Polytechnics (ITP’s) caucus within NZUSA.
I’ll be there on Thursday if you want to come and speak with me.
Jo
Thanks, we have amended accordingly.
ABRIDGED for legal reasons:
Students Associations around the country who are honest, transparent and accountable to their students share the anger of Whitireia students.
When I come to WISA on Thursday I will be coming to support the students and help get things moving forwards for the student body, to ensure the communication flows openly so students know what is happening every step of the way.
I think from my own point of view that Whitireia students are rightfully angry and deserve to have the support to help them get through this tough period.
Noting that although I am a current President of the Association of Students at UCOL (AS@U) my interest is and always has been the interests of my student body that I have been mandated to represent, and so I come as an independent support person for the student body with the same thought process, and that is that the student body needs to set a realistic direction for WISA so the student body can begin to move forwards and can get the local representation, advocacy and support they need to continue studies.
I am more than happy to talk to students if they would like to chat with me when I am on campus.
Jo
What is with the racial slur from Mr Manu to Mr Raouf-Morton???
Surely this is not the behaviour we should expect from someone who is supposed to be representing all the students no matter what race they may be?? I am very surprised to hear this kind of remark from someone that has likely been on the receiving end of such racial comments himself during his lifetime.
New Zealand is a multi-cutural society and Whitireia promotes that is has an international student body so somebody should call Mr Manu to answer for this comment in a public arena.
The anger felt by Whitireia students is understandable and completely justified.
They have been misrepresented by an association which they have been forced to join.
It is time the law was changed to ensure that students can choose which groups they belong to, and thus who speaks and acts on their behalf, not to mention who they give their hard earned money to!