Hello! Whether you’re entering your first year of study or returning for another, I welcome you to Victoria University. My name is Seamus Brady and I am the President of your Students’ Association.
Some people, like my grandmother, have wondered aloud what I’ve got myself into, while others just stare at me blankly. But I know I am honoured and incredibly lucky to be your VUWSA President for 2011.
VUWSA was set up by students for students just after Victoria opened its doors for lectures 111 years ago. They understood that students themselves were the only people who could represent students, as only students could ensure that the University was delivering the education, experience, community and facilities that they wanted and needed during their study.
This 111-year-old idea still holds true: VUWSA continues to work on the philosophy of students serving students.
With that in mind, VUWSA has been busy over the summer toiling away to bring you a solid year of representation, services, and events. We’ll be communicating all this with you over the coming weeks and months, and will let you know how you can get involved. We want this year to our best yet.
2011 will be a big year for students. Parliament will decide how the student body is organised; we’ll see new and improved social and recreational spaces in the upgraded Student Union Building opening; and students will continue to have a central role within the Campus Hub Project. There’s the General Election and a crucial referendum on MMP; universities will continue to be underfunded; and student debt will come close to hitting $12 billion dollars. But don’t stress—immerse yourself in student life first.
This year’s Orientation festival is massive. This is your chance to get amongst the biggest and best Orientation festival that Victoria (or any other university for that matter) has seen in decades. We know Orientation weeks in previous years have been a bit lacklustre, so we’ve made sure to deliver you something that will make your friends at Otago or Canterbury wish they’d chosen to come to Victoria.
VUWSA has lined up two weeks of some of the world’s biggest international acts (MGMT and De La Soul) and the best local talent (Die!Die!Die!, Zowie, Homebrew and Disasteradio). We’ve built a totally new venue and bar (The Hunter Lounge), and shacked up some sweet deals ($140 for a passport to everything). All of this combined is going to give you a mindblowing welcome to Victoria University and Wellington in 2011.
Attend as many Orientation events as possible; find a club or Rep Group that suits you; write for Salient; DJ on the VBC; or become a student rep—just do something. There’s way more to university than just studying, and some of the most important things you’ll learn will be outside of the lecture theatre.
I look forward to meeting and working with many of you over the coming year. Feel free to come up to me and say hi, ask a question, or anything else (but please, do not beat me up). You’ll catch me at the VUWSA tent or at our many Orientation events, or you can email me. Have a great year, it’s going to be brilliant!