I just attended a forum on student unionism. I asked the people there to respond to some criticism I had of compulsory student unionism and I felt they responded rather well. Here, I have tried to summarise some of their points.
Why should I pay fees for political protests I don’t agree with?
3% of student union fees are put towards political campaigns. For instance, one recent demonstration outside a minister’s office cost the guild a grand total of $5.
It is important that student unions stick up for student rights, and unfortunately some of these battles, such as HECS fees are inherently political. Even so, this is not where the vast majority of the union’s efforts and funds are directed.
What use is the Union anyway?
Many of the Union’s little victories go unpublicised. For instance, originally Brendan Nelson wanted to allow HECS fees to increase by 30%. Thanks to a concerted nation-wide Unions-led campaign, he reduced that to 25%.
Every day Union workers have little successes that make their job worthwhile, like when a student is kicked out of the Uni on unfair grounds and the Union manages to get that student reinstated. Do you really want it so that only the students who can afford legal representation can get reinstated?
What about all those social clubs I don’t belong to? Why should I pay for them?
University culture has always made the place more exciting to attend. Uni culture is perhaps not as strong as it was in the 1970s, but even today, places like the refec allow students to make friends and discuss problems with their courses with each other. These are important support networks for us as we go through the very stressful process of studying for a degree.
A lot of students sign up for clubs and societies at the start of the year which they never end up attending. But most students take part in some area of student culture at some point. The Uni experience is about more than just churning people out with an education, just as our society is about more than just an economy.
What does the Union do anyway?
I can’t remember the whole list of things the Union funds, but the most important service I think they provide is a childcare service. Parents should have the right to a good education. Parents also need to be close to their children. If we let the University’s childcare service come under corporate control, the service may become overly-expensive for student parents or it may disappear altogether. Let’s not go back to a society where mothers are forced to go without a career so they can stay home to look after the kids.
Student Unions: You may not need them today, but it’s like insurance against what you might need tomorrow.