The Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association (VUWSA) is the official students' association at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand. VUWSA was established in 1899 as the Victoria University College Students' Society. Following the enactment of the Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill, VUWSA will move from being a compulsory students' association to a voluntary one in 2012 [1]
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The Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association (VUWSA) is the official representative body for all students enrolled at Victoria University.
The VUWSA Executive consists of thirteen positions who govern the Association: the President, Vice-President (Education), Vice-President (Welfare), Vice-President (Administration), Campaigns Officer, Women's Rights Officer, Clubs Officer, Welfare Officer, Education Officer, Activities Officer, Queer Officer, Environment Officer and International Students' Officer.
Notable previous executive members include, Green MP Sue Kedgley, current Wellington Deputy Mayor and University Chancellor Ian McKinnon, Sir Tipene O'Regan, former Cabinet Minister Whetu Tirikatene-Sullivan, Chris Hipkins, Professor Margaret Clark, and EPMU National Secretary Andrew Little.
The Association employs a number of staff who work for students and assist the Executive in achieving its strategic and operational goals. They are led by the Association Manager who oversees the financial and operational functions of the Association and includes a Student Advocate who provides independent and trained representation in cases of misconduct within the University and grievances with bodies such as StudyLink, a Education Organiser who coordinates and trains the student representative system consisting of over 600 students ranging from Class Reps to University Councilors , a Clubs Development Officer who assist the nearly 90 VUWSA-affiliated cultural and sporting clubs on campus, Campus Activities Coordinator and an Representative Groups Administrator.[2]
Historically, VUWSA has had a reputation as a left-wing organisation. VUWSA has traditionally maintained a heavy involvement in New Zealand's social and political movements such as the Nuclear Free New Zealand Movement, the Vietnam War and the War in Iraq. In recent years, VUWSA has supported the campaign for the Prostitution Reform Bill and the Civil Union Bill and opposed initiatives to raise the legal drinking age to 20 years.
Since 1937 VUWSA have funded the student magazine Salient,[3] and recently the only major student and community radio station in the City, the The VBC.[4]
The Victoria University of Wellington Debating Society (Inc.), formed in 1899, the Society is run by an elected committee of eleven people (Victoria University of Wellington students), which organises regular debating grades, public debates, debating tournaments, and social events.
The Society meets regularly during term time and attends national and international tournaments during each of the mid-trimester and trimester breaks. The Society also organises the prestigious Plunket Medal Oratory Contest, the oldest prize for public speaking in New Zealand.
Within New Zealand, it has won the Officers' Cup for impromptu debating at the New Zealand University Games sports tournament for the last thirteen years.[5] It is the current holder of the Joynt Scroll for prepared debating, and it has won this trophy more than any other university. It has won the NZ British Parliamentary Debating Champs in five of the seven years it has been held.
The Society also has a long history of competing in international tournaments. Victoria won the 2010 and 2011 Australasian Intervarsity Debating Championships and reached the Grand Final in 2007 and 2009, finishing as runner-up on both occasions.[6] In January 2009, a Victoria team reached the semi-finals of the World Universities Debating Championships in Cork, Ireland.
The Society has honours boards in the bottom foyer of the historic Hunter Building at Victoria University, which are maintained by the University. The original wooden honours boards were maintained and restored when the Hunter Building itself was restored and renovated in the early 1990s. The honours boards list by year Victoria students who have won the Joynt Scroll, the Bledisloe Medal for Oratory, the Plunket Medal, and the now defunct Union Prize.