Student Consultation and Wellbeing

Sean Richards made this Official Information request to University of Auckland

The request was successful.

From: Sean Richards

Tena koutou,

I request the following information under the Official Information Act. Pursuant to s 12 of the Act, I request that you accord urgency to this request, as the information will be used in order to inform submissions to the draft Student Services Strategy 2019-2022 and the information will therefore be required as soon as possible to facilitate an informed response.

I request:
- Details on student consultation to turn the study space on Level 1 of Kate Edger Information Commons (opposite UBIQ and ANZ Bank) into office space, specifically how many students were consulted on the change, and how many of those students supported the change and how many did not
- How much money was allocated to University Health and Counselling Services for the purposes of providing counselling from financial year 2000-2018 inclusive
- Details of student consultation on the Student Services Strategy 2019-2022: details of discussion points in the focus groups that ran for students over October 2018, how long each of the focus groups ran for, and how many University Staff Members or contractors were physically present with the students during the focus groups
- Details of consultations with staff members who are not Academic Heads, Deans, Kaiorahi, members of the Working Group, or part of the Senior Leadership Team: How many such staff were consulted?

I look forward to your earnest response.

Nga mihi,
Sean Richards

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From: Sean Richards

Kia Ora Koutou,

I just want to confirm receipt of my urgent request dated July 28th 2019, regarding "Student Consultation and Wellbeing". Given the reasonably short period of consultation on the Student Services Strategy, I'd like to also know an estimate of when I can expect to receive the information.

Naku iti noa, na
Sean Richards

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From: Rebecca Ewert
University of Auckland

Dear Sean,

The University has decided not to accord urgency to your request. If you are intending to make a submission as part of staff consultation on the Student Services Strategy 2019-2022, it is not possible to respond to your request before staff consultation ends on Friday 2 August. Staff consultation opened on 17 June and any request for information you believe you need to make a staff submission should have been made much earlier. If you are intending to make a submission as part of student consultation on the Student Services Strategy 2019-2022, that consultation ends on Friday 30 August. This provides ample time for the University to respond on a non-urgent basis and for you to consider that response in making your submission.

The University will respond to your request as soon as reasonably practicable, but no later than 23 August.

Yours sincerely,
Rebecca Ewert
General Counsel

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From: Sean Richards

Kia Ora Ms. Ewert,

Whilst I understand that position, I must ask you to reconsider. The timeframe between the statutory deadline and the close of submissions is 7 days. Anecdotal evidence, plus looking at other requests for Official Information to various agencies, suggests that most organisations subject to the Official Information Act take almost the full length of time to respond.

Though I do not anticipate there to be any issues with the content of information that I receive, in the event that clarification is required on the information on either my part or the University's, or that information is withheld, or any other issue, this doesn't present much time to resolve such issues.

Moreover, the information requested is as I say not just for my own submission but for submissions from other students, which means that the 7 day timeframe between the due date for a response to this request and the close of submissions means that there is almost no time for dissemination and analysis of my request.

I look forward to your earnest response.

Naku iti noa, na
Sean Richards

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From: Sean Richards

Kia Ora Rebecca Ewert,

Further to my email yesterday, and rereading the Background Papers to the Whakamana Tangata, I realized I did not include an important part of my request. Please add on to my original request the following:

- Can you please advise if any further research was done with respect to the composition of the student focus group, specifically with regards to those student's primary campuses, and if so, what the results were. Further, can you advise if any research was done (with respect to the Strategy) for the differing needs of students on the satellite campuses?

Naku iti noa, na
Sean Richards

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From: Rebecca Ewert
University of Auckland


Attachment Student engagement workshops run sheet V2.docx
52K Download View as HTML


Dear Sean,

 

I refer to your request for official information of 28 July 2019, as
amended by you on 7 August 2019. In passing I note that the University
could have treated your amended request as a new request that replaces the
original under section 15(1AA) of the OIA, with a new time limit of 4
September 2019.

 

The University’s response is as follows.

 

"Details on student consultation to turn the study space on Level 1 of
Kate Edger Information Commons (opposite UBIQ and ANZ Bank) into office
space, specifically how many students were consulted on the change, and
how many of those students supported the change and how many did not"

 

Kate Edger Level 1 is not an office space. It is a space for student
facing services (Career Development and Employability Services, Campus
Life Student Engagement and Te Fale Pouawhina learning support services
for Maori and Pacific students). Students go to this space for advisory
services, consultations and workshops. Students were not consulted about
these changes when they were made two years ago, though the changes to
make student facing services more visible and usable by more students were
made in response to feedback received through multiple channels.

 

"How much money was allocated to University Health and Counselling
Services for the purposes of providing counselling from financial year
2000-2018 inclusive"

 

  2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
  Counselling Counselling Counselling Counselling Counselling Counselling Counselling Counselling Counselling Counselling Counselling Counselling Counselling
                           
TOTAL
COSTS 549,588.57 518,527.48 542,813.93 550,329.17 841,194.52 946,588.52 923,623.48 965,979.00 1,003,224.00 1,024,581.76 1,103,312.38 1,162,462.58 1,242,061.84

 

The statistics for 2000-2005 are not available, and providing this
information would require substantial collation or research. This part of
your request is refused under section 18(f) of the OIA. Neither charging,
nor extending the response timeframe, nor consulting with you would allow
this part of your request to be granted.

 

"Details of student consultation on the Student Services Strategy
2019-2022: details of discussion points in the focus groups that ran for
students over October 2018, how long each of the focus groups ran for, and
how many University Staff Members or contractors were physically present
with the students during the focus groups"

 

Student consultation for the Student Services Strategy opened on 22 July
2019 and ends on 30 August 2019. The October 2018 focus group discussion
points are attached. There were two 2-hour focus groups and two 1.5-hour
focus groups. Between 5-7 staff or contractors attended each focus group.

 

" Details of consultations with staff members who are not Academic Heads,
Deans, Kaiorahi, members of the Working Group, or part of the Senior
Leadership Team: How many such staff were consulted?"

Staff consultation opened on 17 June 2019 and ended on 2 August 2019. This
consultation process was open to all staff. The University has also run
presentations sessions for staff members, but the number of staff
attending each session has not been recorded.

 

“Can you please advise if any further research was done with respect to
the composition of the student focus group, specifically with regards to
those student's primary campuses, and if so, what the results were.”

No further research was done with respect to the composition of the
student focus group, specifically with regard to those students’ primary
campuses.

 

Further, can you advise if any research was done (with respect to the
Strategy) for the differing needs of students on the satellite campuses?”

 

No additional research was done (with respect to the Strategy) for the
differing needs of students on the satellite campuses. However, previous
reports were used as well as student comments from University student
surveys, which included students from all campus sites.

 

You have the right to make a complaint to an Ombudsman about this
response.

 

Yours sincerely,

Rebecca Ewert

General Counsel

University of Auckland

 

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