THE AUCKLAND UNI ERSITY STUDENTS' ASSOCIATION (INC.) TE ROOPU TAUIRA O TE WHARE WAANANGA O TAMAKI MAKAURAU

Media Release – 1 April 2008 – For Immediate Use

Student union takes urgent action to stop student debt rising

In a bid to head off rising student debt at the University of Auckland, the AUSA executive voted at its executive meeting tonight to sell off sponsorship and naming rights to the Association's Student Union Buildings and Executive positions, to help stem the tide of student debt, due to hit $10 billion on April 10.

"We are deeply concerned about the burden of debt our students will carry when they graduate, and that underlies the Executive's grave decision tonight," says AUSA President David Do.

"The government's failure to properly support students means we have no choice but to sacrifice ourselves to help our students."

"The University has also consistently failed to give students breathing room in its heady race to raise tuition fees every year. We therefore resolved to sell all our assets in a selfless move to provide relief for all our students for at least a year," says AUSA Education Vice President Sophia Blair.

The total value of the naming rights is estimated at many millions of dollars. Once sold, the 20,000 members of AUSA will get approximately thousands of dollars of debt relief each. AUSA will arrange with student loan holders for direct repayment to Studylink.

Naming rights will also be sold to maximise all possible recovery value. AUSA is currently in talks with Owen G Glenn regarding possible naming rights to the Student Union Buildings, and with Vice-Chancellor Stuart McCutcheon on renaming Rudman Gardens to McCutcheon Plaza (like John Hood Plaza at the Business School, this plaza also comes with grass). AUSA’s Womenspace room will become the Maybelline Womenspace - the room's new slogan is 'Maybe its Womenspace, Maybe its Maybelline!’

Sponsorship deals finalised tonight for AUSA officers include: •the Fairfax Media Officer •the Bear Stearns Treasurer •the Nike Sports Officer •the Solid Energy Environmental Affairs Officer •the Wattie’s Welfare Officer

AUSA is also pleased to announce a new on-campus collaboration with SkyCity Casinos. The profits from a new 'SkyCity Student Express' outlet with pokie machines will be reinvested back into what remains of the student community.

ENDS

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