Seamus Brady, President
Prez Seamus has done, in his own words, “lots” so far this year, and indeed, there’s no obvious padding in his extensive, 15-page work report. That he’s often in his office until 10pm, his dedication to the role. Seamus has continued to improve the relationship between VUWSA and the University; overseen the best O Week festival in the country; and actively worked on improving engagement and communication between VUWSA and students. He’s represented students’ interests on a number of national boards, and moreover, he’s fulfilled the diplomatic part of presidency very well—especially compared to his predecessor Max “Power” Hardy. But for reasons unknown—perhaps lack of confidence, or a sense of resignation to the inevitable—he has been unwilling to do much more than go with the tide. Seamus has failed to rock the boat, even though the likely implementation of Voluntary Student Membership next year has meant that it really was necessary. Looking at the media coverage that Otago University Students’ Association president Logan Edgar managed to reel in for the CSM cause, he could have been a little more outspoken. Overall, though, Seamus has been an excellent captain, keeping VUWSA on an even keel after many years of stormy weather. If Max and Seamus’ legacy is upheld next year, VUWSA is in good hands.
Rating: 4/5
Fun fact: Seamus’ office is full of dead ladybirds!
Bridie Hood, Vice-President (Education)
Bridie, the star of VUWSA 2011, is in the Association for all the right reasons. Consequently, her work report reflects work that she has done: there’s no sense that she is exaggerating her achievements. She has single-handedly revitalised the class representative system, transforming it from a token, tiresome gesture at the start of each course to a real, legitimate chance for students to have their voices heard. In Trimester 1 of this year, 91 per cent of classes had class reps, and just under 80 per cent of them attended a class rep training session; there are now even scholarships to reward them for going above and beyond the call of ‘class rep’ duty. That’s huge, and that’s more or less entirely Bridie’s doing. She’s been a genuine advocate for students, and has ensured that they have a real, legitimate voice within the University. So far this year, Bridie has clearly been Seamus’ right-hand woman, following on from a relationship they built in the Vice-Presidents’ office last year. This goes to show what can happen when people see VUWSA as an ongoing commitment, rather than a year-long term. Bridie is passionate, tuned-in to other parts of student culture and society, and genuinely believes in the importance of VUWSA and tries to convince others of the same.
Rating: 5/5
Fun fact: Bridie looks a lot like Uther’s sister Freya!
Asher Emanuel, Vice-President (Welfare)
Asher is working on a huge deficit of hours that he is unlikely to make up over the course of the year. However, that he has managed to achieve such a considerable amount regardless highlights the flaws in VUWSA’s quantitative methods of assessing work. Calculating work in hours encourages exec members to pad out their fortnightly work reports with ‘tasks’ such as responding to emails and checking voicemail messages. Asher’s work to date proves that it is possible to make a difference within VUWSA despite apparently not being on top of his workload. Together with Welfare Officer Ta’ase Vaoga, Asher has improved the profile of VUWSA’s welfare-related services (especially at the satellite campuses) immeasurably. It’s also reassuring to see that he looked outside of Victoria University for ideas as to how to improve initiatives such as the VUWSA Food Bank. His position as a newcomer to VUWSA has enabled him to identify and address the Association’s weaknesses clinically, efficiently and without undue emotion. Moreover, as was demonstrated at the VUWSA AGM last week, Asher—a DebSoc veteran—is easily the Association’s most effective and convincing communicator. And today, more than ever before, VUWSA needs more effective and convincing communicators. Keep up the good work Emanuel.
Rating: 3.5/5
Fun fact: According to his IMDB profile (yes), Asher starred in an episode of Shortland Street in 2008 as ‘Harley Henley’!
Daniel Wilson, Vice-President (Admin)
Kudos to Daniel Wilson, this year’s Vice-President (Admin), for admitting that his role is one of the most useless in the VUWSA exec. Vice-President (Admin) was first instated as a paid alternative to Treasurer, and has since become more or less redundant since VUWSA’s appointment of a general manager at the end of 2009. Consequently, it will be dissolved next year. As the Association’s final Vice-President (Admin), Wilson claims to have made VUWSA more accountable, and to have reduced expenditure on sports and cultural councils. He has also played a lot of Minesweeper. It is worth noting that one of Wilson’s chief responsibilities was to organise and oversee the Publications Committee, which governs Salient, but he has failed to attend at least two meetings and has had minimal engagement with the publication. Also, he identified his sole weakness as an initial lack of institutional knowledge—though this has since been rectified. Phew! Daniel’s done a passable job as VUWSA’s last Vice-President (Admin), but not enough to convince us that the position needs to be retained in 2012—though this is more the institution’s fault than his. Good on him for acknowledging this.
Rating: 3/5
Fun fact: Daniel is a big fan of Neil Patrick Harris!
Jennifer Fellows, Education Officer
Education Officer Jennifer Fellows’ relationship with Vice-President (Education) Bridie Hood has been the most efficient of the entire exec, with the two working to ensure quality academic support and representation for students. Jen has been proactive and helpful, as typified by her work on the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science and Faculty of Architecture and Design boards. Fellows is a worthy addition to the general exec team.
Rating: 3/5
Ta’ase Vaoga, Welfare Officer
Working alongside Vice-President (Welfare) Asher Emanuel, Ta’ase has improved the profile of VUWSA’s welfare services across Victoria University. She helped out with study week breakfasts and flu shots, and also organised a trip to Christchurch to help out post-earthquake. Vaoga has also enthusiastically contributed to other areas of VUWSA outside of welfare.
Rating: 3/5
Jeremy “Jezza” Peters, Clubs Officer
As Clubs Officer, Jezza has had an active presence within VUWSA. He has ensured that the relationship between the Association and clubs has been smooth: both Clubs Week and his Meet and Greet were well-attended. He was also the sole exec member to give a detailed justification of his application for a bonus.
Rating: 3/5
Campbell Herbert, Activities Officer
The ‘wildcard’ of the exec, Campbell resigned from VUWSA at the end of last trimester in order to go to Germany on exchange. His last column in Salient criticised the structure and functions of VUWSA, but this was seen as an extension of his trolling the exec in a misguided attempt to hold them accountable. In his half-year report, Herbert acknowledges his being “outspoken” as a weakness that “can often lead to dissent”.
Rating: 2/5
Fun fact: Campbell Herbert appeared in an ad for
cheese in a spray can called ‘Mr Cheese’!
Josh Van Veen, Campaigns Officer
Campaigns Officer Josh Van Veen started the year off well, organising a lively launch to the Education Action Group with guest speaker Winston Peters. However, the rest of Trimester 1 saw little promotion of public debate, though this is likely due to Van Veen’s illness. This has also seen him miss half of the general exec meetings so far.
Rating: 2.5/5
Tom Reed, Queer Rights Officer
Tom has had an active presence on campus, organising Pink Shirt Day, creating and facilitating the Safe Space training programme, and organising queer mentoring. His involvement with UniQ is obvious and commendable, but the promotion of their events could have been improved.
Rating: 3/5
Haley Mortimer, Environmental Officer
Environmental issues have not featured prominently on campus so far this year, and Mortimer’s designated Environment Week passed without comment. Perhaps more concerning is that this was not questioned by the general exec. Also: VUWSA has a vegetable garden?
Rating: 2/5
Andy Gao, International Student Officer
The role of International Student Officer within VUWSA has always been problematic, and this year has been no different. The position aims to actively engage with international students, but international students’ needs are dealt with primarily through a specific council, so it seems like the role exists purely for the sake of political correctness.
Rating: 1.5/5
Necia Johnston, Women’s Officer
As Women’s Officer, Necia has continued with the initiatives her predecessor established in 2010. She has also mobilised and maintained a small group of interested individuals as part of VUWSA Women’s Group, but this affects a small number of Victoria’s student body, and it must be questioned whether the role of Women’s Officer is worth retaining in the long-term.
Rating: 2.5/5