Keeping tabs on student politics is a thankless task. As a journalist, you suspect that your audience isn't particularly interested in what you have to say, and that the only people really taking notice are the pollies on whom you are reporting. And if you call them out, they're not going to be happy. It's not like we go out of our way to make them upset. We're just trying to do our jobs, to be the critic and conscience of the organisation, but you can't stop people from taking things personally. This might not sound like the sort of thing that should keep someone up at night, but here I am at 1:20 AM, so I guess it is.

My colleagues at the other student magazines in New Zealand share this sentiment. At the recent Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA) awards, the air was thick with the bitching of student journalists about the various student unions, associations and organisations they're charged with keeping tabs on. As well as playing to the widespread prejudice of reporters that the world would be far better if only journalists ran it, it goes to show that this is a universal problem among the student magazines of New Zealand. How best to report on the doings of people that are closely tied to your own organisation, and that you might see every day? It's a thorny issue, and one that takes some careful treading.

However, I did notice an interesting thing at the ASPAs. Nexus' voice was notably absent from the chorus of complaint over the unions. We are incredibly lucky at Waikato University to have a union that is (relatively) functional, cohesive and well-managed, apart from one or two bad eggs, which you would get anywhere. They, mostly, do a very good job. Managing a great deal of student money and political capital is a big commitment, and most of the WSU Directors have realised this and put the work and hours in accordingly.

One complaint I received over the WSU Warrant of Fitness was from Director Jeff Hawkes, whose interesting antics of late you can read all about in the Execution. He said, among other things, that the WOF would put people off running for the Director positions next year. Well, that was pretty much the intention. If Nexus can put off one muppet from somehow being elected to the WSU, and encourage the perception that working as a Director is for sober-minded people who want to do good in this world and not arse about, then we've done a big part of our job. I note that most people in our Warrant of Fitness got good, if not glowing, reviews. Prospective student politicians need to realise that being criticised is part of their job as much as being critical is of mine. If they think what I say is mean, they should see what'll await them should they choose a "real" political career. My carefully-minced words will look like butterfly kisses compared to what others hand out. This is especially important for any prospective WSU Directors to realise this year, because there is a Bill before Parliament that will make all student unions voluntary if it passes into law. If it does, there is a very good chance that student unions as we know them will vanish into history - and that the services that they currently help provide, like student magazines, will go with them. The political shitstorm that will accompany this move, should it go through, will carry away the unwary. Dramatic metaphor, sure, but it's probably going to get very rough.

I'm not saying voluntary unions are a foregone conclusion, or that the VSM bill is inherently good or bad, just that its advent brings with it certain political realities that student unions are going to have to face, like it or not. And the better crew the WSU has on board to deal with the changes, the better off students will be.

One thing I hope is that as long as there's a Waikato Student Union, there'll be a Nexus to keep an eye on things. With, of course, puzzle and photo pages for students to turn to after they've had their fill of student politics.