VUWSA president Nick Kelly’s motion to increase the levy from $99 to $120 was passed at a Special General Meeting (SGM) last Wednesday.

The motion needed a two-thirds majority to pass, and unexpectedly received 66.9% of the votes. The motion had failed at an SGM two weeks earlier when the required quorum of 100 students lapsed before voting was completed.

Kelly said he was “happy” and “relieved” at the outcome of the SGM.

“I’m relieved that the levy adjustment happened, I think that it just means we can carry on maintaining our services.

We’ve still got the review, we’re still going to make it more efficient, but it puts us in a stronger position to carry on, so that’s really helpful to us,” says Kelly.

Student Choice, a group advocating voluntary students’ association membership, spoke against the motion, and also disputed the vote-counting process. Spokesman Lukas Schroeter said it was “a bit disappointing” that “150 people can make a decision for 18,000 students.”

An Annual General Meeting (AGM) followed the SGM, at which last year’s AGM minutes and Annual Report were passed. Several constitutional amendments were also passed, including two moved by Welfare Vice-President Jules van Cruysen, one of which added the Creche Parents’ Committee to the Rep Groups Charter, and another which entitled Salient staff delegated by the Editor to remain in VUWSA Exec meetings during committee.

VUWSA Constitution enthusiast Nicholas O’Kane called for a quorumcount five times during the meeting, and once ran out of the room in an attempt to stop numbers reaching 100. A motion to enact the VUWSA Constitution Standing Orders and stop O’Kane from calling for quorum-counts failed.