- The council moved in-camera to discuss $15,000 spent on legal fees on 06/02/13.
The MSC moves in-camera when confidential issues need to be discussed. This is often in regards to budgeting, money and legal issues. Only MSC vote holders or their proxies are allowed to be in the room when in-camera discussions are held, thus, your Lot’s Wife editors had to leave.
- The Bikery budget was passed for 2013. It will be opened on February 18.
The ‘permanent closure’ of The Bikery was a hotly contested issue last year. While a motion had been passed to close the space, a campaign by those associated with ‘Save the Bikery‘ guaranteed its opening for 2013. We don’t have access to the passed budget so we can’t de-code that for you, but we can say that funding from the Office of Environmental Sustainability secured the re-opening.
- MSA elections have been called, they will be running September 23-26.
We know how much you all just LOVE election time. But dates have been announced (albeit very early) for this year’s MSA election. Being a federal election year, September is set to be a very political month. Perhaps the party faithful of the MSA have taken a leaf out of Julia’s book? Here’s hoping we won’t see seven months of campaigning on campus.
- A bi-election will be held on Wednesday 20th March.
Positions are still available on Student Council. Indigenous officer, five (of five) indigenous affairs committee members and one (of five) student affairs committee members are up for grabs, and elections will be in week three. If any current office bearers resign (probably to get more sleep if we are anything to go by) the election of their replacements will be held at this bi-election as well.
- Computer upgrade for the MSA. Up to $45,000 to be spent on new technology for MSA staff and office bearers over two years.
Technology in the MSA hasn’t been upgraded since 2008 (except for us here in the Lot’s office- we got shiny new computers last year!). After many years of deliberation, the idea of rolling upgrades has been introduced; that is, the upgrades will be staggered over a two to three year period. The money to cover this will be drawn from the MSA’s central funds (last year it was reported that these central funds totalled $7 million).
- MUISS Executive noted by the MSC.
Monash University International Student Services (MUISS) is a division of The MSA (they used to be a separate organisation within the university, but are now autonomous within the MSA, that is, they are a part of the MSA family, but have their own power to make decisions). As such, the MSC annually ‘notes’ or accepts their executive – the people in charge. Basically it’s just a rubber stamp of approval – a formality to keep things running smoothly.
- Updated marketing policy for the MSA.
The MSA like any brand or company has a marketing policy in regards to sponsorship and advertising. At the last MSC a new policy was put forth and debated, and today it was voted on. The clauses in question were those which guaranteed that the MSA would not accept sponsorship, nor advertise for companies which do not uphold social and/or environmental obligations, such as those involved in the logging of old growth forests or uranium mining.
- The MSA supports the protest against Geert Wilders speaking in Australia.
Member of the not-so-aptly-named Dutch Freedom Party, Geert Wilders, is to visit Australia and speak in Melbourne on February 19th. The party is from the very far right of the political spectrum (think fascism) and are openly islamaphobic, comparing the Koran to Hitler’s Mein Kampf. Wilders is speaking in Australia on the invitation of Cory Bernardi, an Australian liberal politician who was forced to resign as Abbott’s parliamentary secretary after comments he made linking homosexuality to bestiality. The MSA passed a motion condemning Wilders and supporting the protest against his speaking, which is supported by many left-leaning groups in Australia. The MSA recommends we all go.
The next MSC will be held in Week 1, Thursday 7th of March in the conference room (which is opposite the big screen in the airport lounge, level 1 of the campus centre). Another MSC decoder will ensue…
To find our more about Monash Student Council, access minutes or to find out when and where future meetings are to be held click through here.
