Victoria Fees to Rise

Victoria University voted this afternoon to raise student fees by 5% across the board, except for Humanities and Education (which will rise by 10%) and postgraduate students (which will rise by $500 per EFTS).

I spoke against the proposal on the grounds that it simply didn't justify any fee increase, and there were various areas of waste within the university's finances which should be trimmed back before we should be looking at a fee increase.

I did interviews with TV1, Dominion Post, National Radio, NewsTalk ZB, and NZPA, and are going to be on Breakfast tomorrow morning at 7am.



UPDATE: Just done an interview with the Chancellor on Breakfast.

This is how the council voted.

In support of the fee increase (14):
Chancellor, Emeritus Professor Timothy Beaglehole (Elected by the Court of Convocation)

Pro-Chancellor, Mr Ian D McKinnon (Elected by the Court of Convocation)

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Pat Walsh

Chair, Finance Committee, Mr James Ogden (Appointed by the Minister of Education)

Ms Rosemary Barrington (Elected by the Court of Convocation)

Mrs Mary Bruce (Co-opted by the Council)

Professor Charles Daugherty (Elected by the Academic Staff)

Mr Kevin T Duggan (Elected by the General Staff)

Ms Patricia McKelvey (Appointed by the Minister of Education)

Professor Paul Morris (Elected by the Academic Staff)

Dr Jock Phillips (Elected by the Court of Convocation)

Mr Gowan Pickering (Appointed by the Council after consultation with Business New Zealand)

Mr Donald B Scott (Appointed by the Minister of Education)

Mr Shaan Stevens (Appointed by the Minister of Education)

Against the fee increase (3):
Ms Cordelia Black (Appointed by the Executive of the Students' Association)

Te Mākao Bowkett (Appointed by the Council after consultation with the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions)

Mr Jeremy Greenbrook (Appointed by the Executive of the Students' Association)

Absent (2):
Dr Dolores Janiewski (Elected by the Academic Staff)

Dr Val Orchard (Elected by the Court of Convocation)