VSU dispute at Tas Uni
By Jen Crothers
HOBART -- Voluntary student unionism has recently become a significant issue at the University of Tasmania here. Daniel Muggeridge, a prize-winning student, has been debarred from the University for refusing to pay his service and amenities (S&A) fees.
Muggeridge will be able to sit his exams but his results will be withheld. He will also be unable to enrol next year.
Muggeridge refuses to pay his union fee because he is philosophically opposed to compulsory unionism. However, membership of the union is not compulsory. A student may enrol as a conscientious objector and not be affected in any way, and Muggeridge has been informed of this fact by the union presidents for two consecutive years.
He claims that the union is peripheral to his education, yet he is actively involved in activities administered and funded by the union.
Muggeridge is a member of the Defence of Human Life Society and Students for Christ Society. He has also applied to be a student representative for the faculty of Science and Technology, a service made possible by S&A fees.
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