The University Council passed a five percent fee rise for 2008 this afternoon.
The meeting, which began in the Council chamber and was attended by around 30 students and members of the public, was moved to a tiny room on the fourth floor of Hunter after the crowd was deemed too noisy and disruptive for the meeting to continue there.
Protestors chanted “Do a degree, what do you get? Debt, debt, debt, debt”, blew an incredibly loud whistle and heckled the Council from the public gallery, from which they had hung a ‘No Fee Rise’ banner and A4 pieces of paper spelling out SHAME.
A motion was passed by a slim majority of the Council to relocate to the fourth floor room, rather than eject the protesters, as was threatened earlier.
The fee rise was passed by a large majority, with VUWSA President Geoff Hayward, former President Fleur Fitzsimmons, student rep Chris Bishop and Te Makao Bowkett against the rise.
Salient will carry further coverage of fee-setting in its final issue for 2007 next week.