Salient: An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 12, No. 2, March 16th, 1949.
Failure?
Failure?
[Although the following contributed, article contains minor inaccuracies we, print it, because, it represents the thoughts of many students on a most important subject,—Ed.]
The Building Fund Appeal which concluded last year was a failure. Not oven half of the amount aimed for was raised. Either students had not five pounds or they had no wish to give it.
No one denies that this building is a necessity. All students—except a few who never think much anyway—know that the Gym is inadequate, unsafe and should be replaced.
There seems to be one dominating idea in the minds of those who organised that appeal and that is: get the money now from the present students. Why this should be is not clear, for if the new building is ever a reality it will not be those students who were asked for five pounds The will enjoy better facilities. This is not a dog in the manger attitude but an attempt to see why everybody was so loth to donate money. It is not just to expect this generation to pay in full for something future generations will use. Buildings such as this will be are investments for the future and students who usually have very, little money think that five pounds is a lot of money. As it is, some portion of every student's association fee is set aside for that same building fund. That was one of the reasons why the fee was raised. Most students will gain nothing from that allotment either—and so the appeal was a flasco.
... and to lose
This is not a matter that should be regarded as purely a student problem. University education and facilities receive too little attention as it is and some attempt should be made to come to a more practical and useful arrangement with the Government,
If the present attendance at universities throughout New Zealand remains high then the allocation from the Students Association fee is a sound investment. How much is in hand now is not a factor nor is subsidy offered an immediate benefit. Now that university education is more readily available every effort should be made to see that university education is education and not merely a night school cram for degrees and qualifications. To create a students' university of use to the nation it is necessary to have a student body not a few enthusiasts shuttered in a ruin.
Ways and Means
Therefore two possible means of getting a building suggest themselves. The first depends on the Government subsidising the present amount by an equal one and supplying the rest. The rest to be repaid from those allocations from the Students' Association fee and the profits from Extrav. in each year. If the investment is uneconomic, which seems very unlikely, then it will only be a slight loss. It is not too much to expect that the amount will be paid off soon enough to be no longer a debt in a reasonable time. Moreover, no interest should be charged except that necessary for administration—that is no more than about half a per cent.
The second which a more idealistic and much more troublesome but has been used with success overseas is that of the investment bond. Students are then asked to invest their money in the Building Fund. This money will be repaid to them when the Fund has been added to from sources which have been set out above.
The present accommodation is slowly getting worse. The university is overcrowded and there are temporary buildings over as much space as can come out in their rash. Those sort of buildings must be built unless the public starts to moan. A new Association building seems to be as far away as world peace. Building appeals to poor students have been proved a failure so let Us do something more constructive this year.