One part of mawsa you may not be familiar with is representation. Part of the executives’ roles are to represent the students in a variety of ways. For example, mawsa is a member of NZUSA (New Zealand Union of Student Associations). NZUSA lobbies government on behalf of the member associations for policies that are fair for students and tertiary education. One such policy that was implemented due to NZUSA lobbying was the Interest Free student loan change in 2005.

The President and Executive

Another way we represent you is by sitting on national and regional boards and committees. Our president, Ben Thorpe, sits on Academic Board, the mawsa trust board and other University boards to give a student perspective on issues, insights and ideas. Many of the executive members also either sit on College Boards, or liaise with their relative departments within the University.

The full list of committees the President and Executive sit on are:

Nationally:
MUSAF (Massey University Students Assocations’ Federation)
Massey University Council
Student Advisory Committee
Academic Board
Academic Committee
Teaching and Learning Committee
University Grievance Committee
University Disciplinary Committee
College Boards (CoCA, Humanities & Socs, Business, Education)
Health and Safety Consultative Meeting
Exclusions Committee

Campus Specific:
Monthly meetings with Campus Registrar, Building and Facilities Management
Bi-monthly meetings with University Registrar and Vice Chancellor
Campus Operations Group
Academic Leadership Forum
Graduation Committee
Federation Executive of NZUSA
University Caucus
SST Board
Mawsa trust

Class Reps

Mawsa aims to support and encourage Class Representatives in all courses at Massey Wellington. These representatives not only work to resolve issues their class is facing, they also provide a vital source of information to Mawsa on a variety of issues around campus. The Class Reps help to ensure that Mawsa is aware of issues happening around campus and how they affect different courses, thus allowing Mawsa to represent students in an effective and informed way.

Class Reps are about making sure that your University Education is the best it can be. They act as a link between classes, their lecturers, Mawsa and the university.
Being a Class Rep is a vital role for students, but it doesn’t have to be a lot of work. Class Reps need to make sure their class knows who they are, and where to take any issues that do arise. Much of their role is about communicating any issues to the right people, they receive training and they are always supported by the Student Advocate.
Your lecturer should ask for Class Reps in the first week of your course. If no Class Rep has been appointed and you would like to be a Class Rep, contact your student advocate as soon as possible to make sure you don’t miss out on training.
There are a lot of incentives to being a Class Rep including employment skills, references, free feeds, scholarships, and ultimately the feeling that you are making a difference for students.