The future of the troubled University of Wollongong student union is still in limbo after management refused to stop its review of the organisation.
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Left-wing members convened a special Wollongong Undergraduates Student Association meeting in early June calling on the ‘’powers that be’’ to support WUSA’s ongoing existence as an open, democratic, independent student-run organisation on campus.
‘’WUSA reject any previous decision or recommendation made by officers or councillors that seek to de-fund, restructure or dissolve WUSA,’’ UOW student Omar Hassan said at the time.
But a UOW spokesperson reiterated on Tuesday that the review of the UOW Student Representative Model would continue.
The review will take into consideration student feedback, the current student representative model and models in use at other universities to establish best practice.
‘’The report will be submitted to the University Council and the University Council will consider whether any changes to student representation need to take place,’’ the spokesperson said.
‘’The university is committed to providing a student representative model that is inclusive, responsive to the needs of students and best represents the student voice.’’
WUSA president Jasper Brewer is happy his Young Liberals asked the university to review the organisation because the students deserved ‘’a modern system of student representation’’.
Brewer was however less forthcoming when asked by the Mercury if he wanted to shut WUSA down.
‘’The fact is over the last 10 years, WUSA, for better or worse has spent a million dollars of student’s money,’’ he said.
‘’Almost $750, 000 of which was spent in a four-year period, between 2007 and 2011 after the introduction of Voluntary Student Unionism. WUSA hasn’t been significantly reformed or restructured during this time and neither have any of the other peak representative and consultative bodies.’’