After running up the Boulcott Street stairs and up the dreaded Mount Street hill in the rain, only to find that the Exec meeting had not even started yet, I was in a particularly sensationalist mood.
Luckily, the good journalist inside me was strong and my alleged (I stress, alleged) bloodlust for tabloid ethics and not doing my job properly were kept at bay for another night.
The meeting opened with the Exec pondering over whether they should accept Queer Rights Officer Rachael Wright’s apologies.
President Joel Cosgrove wondered whether supporting the VUWSA-organised and funded Women’s Festival was an acceptable reason for not being at an Exec meeting.
Salient understands that Wright is “protesting against VUWSA” and has not submitted a work report in over two months.
In other developments, Campaigns Officer Sonny Thomas wrote some “sweet as” press releases about how shit Unicomm is.
Thomas also flagged the needs for “tight budgeting” with the University’s Hardship Fund. Apparently 18 years of growth has occurred in the usage of the hardship find over the last three months.
150 submissions are still expected over the next quarter as well as food prices rising by eight per cent by the end of the year. “I do not anticipate there being much money at the end of the year,” Thomas informed the Exec.
Administration Vice-President Alexander Neilson is shaking in his boots over the upcoming VUWSA election, after hearing that staff members believe he will be defeated in his bid for re-election.
VUWSA staff members have allegedly been trying to get everything done before the students make the decision to roll (or not to roll) Neilson. It’s Clubs and Activities time! The Exec gave $300 dollars to the French Club to assist with the costs of their annual French play. $2,000 was allocated to the Victoria Muslim Society to assist with travel expenses for their trip to the South Island. Frankly, I am surprised they have money to give anyone.
Cosgrove, the sly dog, tried to fool me into believing we were in a legally bound “off the record” discussion. This prompted Welfare Vice-President Melissa Barnard to draw an interesting comparison between Cosgrove and Winston Peters.
“Winnie! Winnie!?” she yelled.
“Give me money then I’ll be Winston Peters,” Cosgrove argued.
The Exec went off the record twice “for reasons of commercial sensitivity.” I think I can safely say the 2008 Exec have spent most of their time off public record when in meetings with a member of Salient.
Silent Education Officer B Seamus Brady’s general disdain for everyone there (myself especially) seeped from his pores. Like always, the only thing he did say expressed his extreme distaste for meeting: “Can we do this later???” (Excessive use of question marks intended to reflect his tone).
I got to have a gander at the 2008 Profit Report (Loss Report does seem to be a more appropriate term here). The report itself was riddled with errors thanks to Alexander Neilson’s unusually questionable typing skills, so I can not publicly criticise them – yet.
However, some interesting revelations came out of the report despite its inaccuracies. Firstly, Barnard can sing the whole chorus of Kayne West’s ‘Gold Digger’.
Barnard also revealed that she thinks the security VUWSA hire for student safety during O-week are fiercely inadequate.
“Please don’t tell me we paid money for those useless fucks!?” she exclaimed.
Most importantly Neilson revealed he has no idea how much money VUWSA and the Exec has left. As of July this year, VUWSA had spent well over $1 million. How reassuring!