“Well? Fair?”

by Kyle Willoughby

2011 is going to be a big year for New Zealand tertiary study. There are going to be a number of big issues talked about over the next twelve months which will have a major impact on study for a number of people.

MUSA, the Massey University Student Association, is in essence your Student driven support network. Alongside the Education support, there is considerable support provided from a welfare point of view by the VP Welfare position and the MUSA Advocacy team.

The role of VP Welfare is – as the name suggests – focussed on student welfare. Some of the key responsibilities include: MUSA Flats, Release of Contract committee, Thursdays in Black and a whole bunch of committees that help you, the student out in various ways. Don’t panic if those don’t mean much to you at present, over the coming weeks we’ll be going more in depth as to what this all means.

Probably one of the most important contacts to be aware of though is the MUSA Advocacy Service. The Advocacy service is perhaps the most heavily utilised of the services available. MUSA is extremely fortunate to have the skills and experience of Dave Broderick as the MUSA advocate. Dave has had considerable experience working with students of all ages, in all walks of life. He is here to help you, and trust me, he’s damn good at it.

The Advocacy service is there to provide support in all manner of events. For example, if you’re having issues with a landlord, or you need advice on dealing with the halls administration. If it’s simply just a case of you need someone to ask the question “what the hell do I do now?” Dave is your ideal first point of contact.

As with all the services available, any enquiry made to the Advocacy service – and to myself – are all treated in the strictest confidence. Bottom line, we are here to help. Please feel free to come and talk to either Dave or Myself at any stage, no appointment necessary. Bribes of coffee are appreciated though (Just sayin….)

If you want to get a hold of Dave, or anyone else on the MUSA team you can either:

- Come up to the MUSA reception area, up the stairs between the MUSA lounge and the MUSA shop

- Email either This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Remember, we are a part of your student experience. We are here for you, and we’re here to help.

Oh, and Dave likes a Cappuccino, chocolate on top.