2007 marks the first year of full blown VSU for Australian Student Guilds. During January of this year one would expect that a responsible guild president would be ensuring that the financial viability would be one of the foremost issues. However Murdoch University Guild of Students President Reece Harley decided to spend $8,000 on a website “revamp”, which, as at Easter 2007 students have yet to see.
What makes matters worse is that Reece Harley did not take this decision to the Student Executive, or to Murdoch Guild of Students Staff. He decided to blow the $8,000 without any consultation of anyone else at all. To put this cost in perspective this money is the entire Regional Students’ Association budget, also it could of employed a student for a year on a part-time contract. This could of also purchased 200 high quality food hampers for struggling students, payed for expensive text books for over 50 students, payed for 1,500 flu vaccinations or prescription medicine to ensure students don’t get sick.
When confronted by Student Executive members, such s myself, Reece Harley stated that the website would be ready in time for O-Week (Mid Feb 2007). This did not happen. Requests by Students Executive members, such as myself, to disclose the costs to students were and still are being ignored.
Lloyd Johnson has also asked why Reece Harley decided to spend this money on the website considering there are many Murdoch University students who are in desperate need of developing their website portfolios for little or no cost, this has not been answered. This non-existent website, which has been widely hidden from Guild Members and fellow students, has also caused a stir amongst students. Look at the comments which have been left on Lloyd Johnson’s Blog.
This huge expenditure to date has not been released to students, it has not been minuted nor disclosed. Murdoch Guild - How can this go unnoticed? How can you let someone, no matter what rank or level, have access to $8,000 of STUDENT money with no motion, no consultation and disclosure to your members?
Reece Harley, students want to know why you have done this with their funds!
Below is a picture of the Murdoch Guild Website, I, like a lot of students believe this website does not warrant such an extravagant waste of student funds… which have yet to be seen.
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April 8th, 2007 at 10:03 pm
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April 9th, 2007 at 3:02 pm
Matt,
The pic you have linked to is Lloydy’s old site, not the new $8000 creation. You might like to change the pic. I believe Reece posted a screencap on his flicker page.
The link is here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/7622820@N04/443416537/
April 9th, 2007 at 6:57 pm
Thanks Matthew, just to clarify the screen cap is of Murdoch site as of 7th of April it shows that $8,000 has been spent but no result as the webpage is still the same
April 17th, 2007 at 11:47 am
Matt,
Unless things are substantially different from last time I was on the Guild there were theoretically structures in place to stop this kind of thing happening…
First staffing and finance committee creates a budget for Sec - Student Executive to approve and the Management to run by. I assume this was not budgetted for? Is /was there a budget and was the contract tendered for the webpage, is it in writing ect and to whom?
Second and importantly if I recall correctly the lines of authority policy document sets out the maximum amount that can expended and by who outside of the budget. Worth dusting this one off it is guiding policy of the Guild and it expressly forbid stuff like this…
The third and final line of defence is that any cheque requires a co-signature, usually the GM and GP. Neither of of these should sign soemthing outsifde th first two…
I would also suggest anothet line of defence be strengthed in these finacially tight days, if you look at the Guild regulations in the Staffing and Finnace section you will see that expenditures of over $10000 need to go this committee. Maybe you might want to halve or more this number???
Maybe you should also consider a policy in terms who can enter into a contract in the name of the Guild, as this seems quite an exploitable loop hole in that whilst someone cant approve the expenditure the regulations are silent on a number things such as the GP’s powers on such things…
In the end it is up to the Sec - Student Executive and within their power to sanction anyone who has acted outside of
Peace
MAL
April 27th, 2007 at 8:51 pm
[...] the Guild still lacked an up to date and redesigned website, despite having spent many months and $8,000 on the redesign. So, Reece has had almost a month (not to mention the time before then), and even still, the [...]
May 2nd, 2007 at 12:01 am
[...] the Guild still lacked an up to date and redesigned website, despite having spent many months and $8,000 on the redesign. So, Reece has had almost a month (not to mention the time before then), and even still, the Guild [...]