Academic Freedom

VUC/OU: That this meeting of NZUSA expresses the view that it is essential for all meetings of Students' Associations and their publications to be free from censorship or control by College authorities.

Gray (OU): Our paper was gagged and we were told that the Students' building which is owned by the Council, would be put out of bounds to students if anything was printed in "Critic" against the Council.

Nathan (AUC): In this case Freedom of Speech degenerated into License.

Child (OU): I hoped to stir a ripple of controversial thinking on the placid pool of Otago students. I was asked for the speech by a member of the SCM, and the next thing I knew it was printed and distributed all over the College. At the meeting it was intended to be humorous and was received as such.

Taylor (VUC): All this is irrelevant. Action to be taken in these cases should depend entirely on the attitude of the Students' Executive. If the speech is criminal, it is the Police, not the Council, who should take action.

The motion was put and carried.

The Chairwoman called for motions on the policy of NZUSA to be sent to Mr. Ziman as delegate to IUS.

CUC/AUC: That Mr. Ziman be directed to take a firm stand against the Eastern Bloc.

Taylor (VUC): This motion is political and we have agreed that we should keep politics out of our dealings with IUS. No mention is made of a stand against other forms of undesirable political influence.

Morton (AUC): We are opposed to totalitarianism both of the left and the right.

Dowrick (VUC): I would like you to reconsider the words "Eastern Bloc," We are not here in an anti-Russian capacity and we will not tolerate red-baiting.

The motion was withdrawn and redrafted as follows: "That Mr. Ziman be directed to take a firm stand against Totalitarianism, both left and right, and lose no opportunity to put forward the ideals of New Zealand Liberal Democratic Tradition.

Child (OU): We are not sending a delegate to an opposition party, but as a representative to a conference.

Taylor (VUC): We want our delegate to work with all sides for common good.

OU/VUC (amendment): "That the word 'fascist' replace the words 'totalitarianism of left and right'."

Murphy (Australia): We must cooperate for peace, and not start strife within the organization. It is surprising that those who oppose IUS as a political organization should support this motion which is political in character.

Both the amendment and the motion were lost. This apparent paradox is explained by the fact that the delegates from the Agricultural Colleges took the only sane view, and opposed any kind of political motion.

VUC/OU: That Mr. Ziman be supplied with all the information that NZUSA has on IUS including the reports of delegates to the last conference, with copies of the minutes of all NZUSA meetings, and the Executive's comments on the resolutions of the last conference.—carried.

VUC/CUC: That Mr. Ziman be requested to pay particular attention to the administrative and financial organization of IUS and to report fully on it.