The 2009 VUWSA Exec has agreed to form a sub-committee to review and re-write the proposed role position of VUWSA Association Manager.
In a meeting held last Monday (23 February), the Exec passed three motions concerning the final report of the VUWSA Change Proposal Committee. The three motions involved “accepting and receiving” the committee’s final report, forming a sub-committee and committing that sub-committee to re-tooling the proposed role position of Association Manager.
The sub-committee will consist of VUWSA President Jasmine Freemantle; all three Vice Presidents, Freya Eng, Seamus Brady and Alexander Neilson; VUWSA Trust member Dan Ormond; and a representative from accounting-advisory firm BDO Spicers.
VUWSA President Jasmine Freemantle expressed disappointment that the motions passed did not include a full rejection of the proposed description for the Association Manager role.
“I support in principle the idea of a manager, but I was not very impressed with the role description contained within the second document prepared by the Change Proposal Committee,” Freemantle said.
Freemantle was also frustrated with the timing of the discussions surrounding the document. “We’re in the middle of preparing for Orientation,” she said.
“You need to keep in mind that the first two [change proposal] documents talked about laying people off. This is the worst time of year to be doing that.”
“I think it is really inappropriate to say ‘keep working here, keep working your arse off, but we don’t value you enough as an organisation to have you here’. I think there are huge flaws there.”
Of concern during the 23 February meeting was that a number of Exec members felt they had not received adequate time to digest the thoughts of the Change Proposal Committee. Activities Officer Marika Pratley alluded to the fact that reading the report and comprehending it were two very different things.
“Even though I’ve read [the change proposal document] doesn’t mean I understand some of the terminology used.”
“I think the proposal has good intentions, but it’s naïve to make a decision now. There has been no opportunity to consult with students on a mass scale, and these ideas are something that should be presented at a General Meeting,” Pratley said.
Vice President (Administration) Alexander Neilson, who chaired the Change Proposal Committee, took umbrage with the idea that the Executive had not had adequate time to digest the Committee’s findings.
“The Executive received the report nearly two months before this week’s meeting and received the submissions the Friday before, allowing them three days to read five short submissions and ask any questions they had. This is plenty of time for a report such as this,” said Neilson.
“There is no need to delay this document as there will be plenty of time for all executive members to consider the job description after Orientation is over,” he said.
The President, however, was more cautious and weary.
“[The Exec] would have a lot more experience and knowledge to make a more justifiable decision if it was [introduced] a little bit later in the year,” she said.
The differences between the President and the Vice President’s take on the proposal extended into the realm of the personal, with Freemantle suggesting Neilson’s interest was more ego-driven than communal.
“I think [my interests] are a little more reasonable and more in line with trying to create an association that is sustainable and efficient and not championing my own personal project as the chair of a committee,” she said.
The Exec sub-committee plans to complete the task of reviewing and re-writing the Association Manager role within four weeks.