|
||||||||||||
The MUSA Advocacy Service can be a first port of call for any internal student who is experiencing difficulty with a particular situation. We can assist you if you need someone to go into bat for you when some aspect of your life here at Massey is not going smoothly. The Service has a team of trained volunteers who know how to help you to sort your problems out. Every year we assist students with a wide range of issues. Everything from finding out about Massey policy to specific problems with lectures, tutorials and labs (and the people who run them), Spotless (the people who supply your accommodation and food in the halls of residence), Massey administration (including enrolments, exams, results, etc), student services (the people who look out for your health, wellbeing, careers, access, on-campus residence, sport and cultural activities, and study progress), to arguments with flatmates or your Landlord
Another area the Advocacy Service can help you out with is StudyLink. If you are having problems with your Student Allowance or Student Loan we can support you to get the right information or see the right people.
The other thing you might like to keep in mind is that if you’re moving into a flat and haven’t got any money for bond and rent in advance, or buying essential household items like fridges, washing machines, furniture etc. StudyLink may provide recoverable assistance (paid back over 2 years) to help you out.
I've also had experience with community agencies so if your problem is outside of the University I can help you with that as well.
Useful Articles
Turmoil amongst the flatmates
Every year the Advocacy Service sees a lot of students whose flatting life has gone from good to ok to not-so-good to unpleasant. Often this not only impacts on the quality of students' home life (a sanctuary to many of us), but also on their study practices, friendships and financial well-being as well.
StudyLink Ignore the Courts
Since taking over the administration of student allowances StudyLink has maintained that students can only earn less than the prescribed personal income limits in any one week. Once the student's income reaches this limit they loose all entitlement to a payment of Student Allowance for that week. Have a look at any of their published brochures, ask anyone at an Outreach Centre, or anyone at the Call Centre (0800 88 99 00) and that's what they'll tell you. But they are wrong...
Reviewing StudyLink Decisions
StudyLink and Work and Income don't always get it right and, given the conservative nature of their operational policy, it is often worth getting a decision you disagree with reviewed or appealed. Although this is easy to do, what's involved isn't widely known. In this article I'm going to explain the review and appeal process for the different types of decisions affecting students that StudyLink or Work and Income are likely to make...
Are you Unhappy with a Recent Grade?
Course-related problems can take almost any form, including issues related to course structure or material, lecturing style or content, behaviour of the lecturer or tutor, or course assessment. While occurring less frequently these days, problems still do occur from time to time. However, resolving them is often much easier than you might think...
Exams, what Exams?
What happens if you accidentally break your leg and you have to go to hospital on the day of the exam? What if a traumatic event or illness distresses you so much that when you sit the exam it in no way reflects the high quality of your course work? The university has a set of procedures called Aegrotat Consideration (Massey University Calendar 2003, pp 26-27) to help deal with these situations. The procedures cover cases where injury or illness have prevented you from sitting an exam or seriously impaired your performance, and cases where you have been seriously affected by bereavement or illness of a close relative are also considered...
Are you happy with your exam marks?
Were your exam results as you expected? … no! Well, if they weren't, here's something you might like to consider.
Advocacy Co-ordinator: David Broderick
Phone: 06-350-4505
E-mail: advocacy@musa.org.nz
|
|
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
