OUSA Strategic Plan

March 2010 to March 2011

Part One: Mission and Values

“With a focus on comprehensive engagement and exceptional

services OUSA will provide the ultimate student experience.”

OUSA Core Values:

OUSA values being:

Inclusive
Responsible
Engaging
Relevant

Inclusive means accepting of students across the spectrum regardless

of their background, being accessible to everyone and actively
campaigning and advertising events and issues to as many members
as possible, not just those that are directly affected. It means if a
member doesn’t feel included in aspects of University life we will act to
rectify that. It also means that we treat each member on an individual
basis, and don’t treat them based on any pre-conceptions. It also has
an element of flexibility to show we are able to adapt to the changing
social movements.

Responsible means acting responsibly in elected positions, being

responsible to our members for their money, acting in a professional
manner, and taking responsibility for your actions. It means more than
just being mature and sensible, it also means scrutinising Executive
members (and, to a certain extent, staff) to ensure they are acting
responsibly. Responsible also means being accountable to our
members both financially and in our actions and level of service.

Engaging means active, two way communication with our members.

We need to adequately communicate to them what we are doing for
them, and at the same listen to their demands from us. Engaging
means a relationship where we are doing what our members want and
seeking to involve them in the process. It means effective
representation, fun events and crucial services.

Relevant means providing representation, services, events and support

for our members that is what they want. It also includes constant
evaluation to ensure we remain relevant and are always striving to give
the best. It also means we value hard work and that what needs to be
done gets done.

PART TWO: Environmental Scan

Our Current Environment

Based on the assessment of the 2007-2010 strategic plan and key issues
that need to be taken into consideration when strategy planning for
2010:

Voluntary student membership

Council elections
Changes to Tertiary Education, including limiting entry and funding
models (both University funding and Studylink)
Unipol decision
Union re-development
Overall economic climate-coming out of recession and impact on
business
Undie,Toga and other student behaviour issues
Relationship with the university and the wider dunedin community
Education Governance Amendment Bill
Structure of the Executive
Good at engaging with first year’s through orientation but what about
those second year and above, and the rest of the year?

PART THREE: Strategic themes

Strategic Objective: Engagement

Goal: To engage all our members in OUSA through our services, events,
representation and communication.

Actions:

1. Implement a communications committee run by executive

a. Polcom: ToR
b. Executive resolution re: accompanying budgetary adjustments
are required
c. Communications committee recommendations to be ratified by
executive
2. Develop an overall communications plan and ensure measurement
strategies are in place
a. Communications Committee: Review existing communication
policies/procedures/processes
b. Communications committee: Executive resolution whether that
committee commissions someone to write such a plan/has
external membership
c. Communications committee: investigate new channels of
communication with all of our members
d. Communications Committee & Polcom: External/Internal
communication policy
3. Develop clear communication strategies for individual areas
a. Communications committee
4. Develop a committee structure that better integrates the political and
operational sides of the organisation
a. Review ToR through Polcom
5. Develop a communication/feedback and engagement structure
through our wider networks
a. Communications committee: Establish a committee of campus
Faculty/Representative groups
b. Communications committee: Establish clear lines of
communication (through existing core internal committees)
between them and assess what overlap there is between OUSA
functions and how groups can support each other
c. Polcom: Review the Grants Policy to ensure we are best
supporting our members
 6. Review constitutional wording around Student General Meetings to
ensure they best represent our students’ views whilst upholding
democratic principles
a. Polcom
7. Review how we engage our members in our democratic process
a. Communications committee

Strategic Objective: Fiscal Responsibility

Goal: To assess OUSA’s current financial position (in terms of assets,

income and expenditure and financial sustainability) and ensure
student money is being spent prudently and that OUSA can continue to
provide relevant services in the future

Actions:

1. Establish a Finance and Expenditure Committee to investigate financial

position and make recommendations to the executive
a. Polcom: ToR
2. Reform budget setting process to ensure all operational budgets are
ratified by the executive along with an annual plan
a. Executive resolution
3. Review executive budget setting procedure to ensure incoming
executives are not bound to budgets they disagree with whilst still
remaining accountable and responsible
a. Executive/Polcom
4. Investigate need for external financial advice
a. Finance and Expenditure Committee
5. Investigate VSM contingency plan/reducing reliance on student levy
a. Finance and Expenditure Committee

Strategic Objective: Operational Efficiency

Goal: To ensure internal operations are as efficient as possible in order

to give students the required output in an environment where OUSA is
bound by the University calendar and governed by a new executive
every year

1. Ensure IT and other communication systems are up to date

a. Stephen/Harriet
2. Investigate new archiving/IT/internal management systems to support
executives
a. Stephen/Harriet to action
b. Budget adjustment may be required
3. Review OUSA’s governance structure to ensure member’s are best
represented whilst being commercially responsible
a. Governance Structure Review Working Party
4. Ensure adequate training measures (including strategic planning
methods) are in place and sufficient handover is given to incoming
executives
a. Governance Structure Review Working Party
5. Review performance incentives and executive retention incentives
a. Governance Structure Review Working Party
6. Support staff development with HR Policies and Procedures
a. Stephen/Polcom

Strategic Objective: Services

Strategic Goal: To meet the needs of students with relevant services

and ensure their exceptional quality

1. Review at least one area each year and act on recommendations

a. Entrench review process
b. Stephen coordinating
c. Recreation and Events in 2010
2. Investigate implementing measures on relevancy e.g. student
satisfaction surveys
a. Harriet/Stephen: Engage areas of universities that do this kind of
research and commission some student surveys
b. Communciations committee: Ensure process of feedback also
assesses services
 3. Incorporate staff in key internal committees to better integrate the
political and operational sides of the organisation
a. Communications/campaigns and other committees to
incorporate operational units
4. Consider service needs of mature and post grad students
a. Educom/welcome

Strategic Objective: Internal and External stakeholder relationships

Strategic Goal: Develop a high level of stakeholder support for OUSA

with internal and external stakeholders. Get them to value us and take
our side on important political issues.

1. Regulate external and internal relationship committee structure

a. Executive resolution: Internal reporting of external committees
[done]
2. Improve relationship with University, DCC and wider stakeholders
a. Settle CoC debarcle
b. Polcom: Review community grants procedure
c. Campaigns/Communications: Increase profile and amount of
events/initiatives that involved community (eg International
Food Fest, Market Days, North D Cleanup, Student of the Month)
d. Stephen: investigate OUSA sponsorship mechanisms to achieve
income diversification
e. Harriet/Stephen: Identify best way to support sports club through
Recreation Review
f. Communications committee: Maintain good dialogue with
external organisations we engage with
g. Campaigns/Communications: Support volunteer organisations
in the wider community (and clubs) by providing access to
students as a network of volunteers in return for work experience
on their CVs
h. Campaigns: Engage University departments in our exec and
staff operations via pathways program