Austria

Austria's students are decided to go out on a general strike, if the government's endowments to the universities are as poor in the future as they have been until now. At the Second Austrian Student Congress, held May 12-15 in Vienna, they demanded considerable increases in university funds, a law for financial assistance to students and the creation of legal bases for student medical care. In a declaration they called the situation at Austrian universities catastrophic. About 16,000 places in student homes are needed for students whose residence is not in the university city, in order to free them of the burden of high rents, which is unbearable over a long period. In all Austria 3,000 places in student homes are available.—(Special report).

England

The N.U.S. Student Journalists' Conference was held in April. A large cross-section of the student press in Britain was represented in London. The conference this year was based on the idea of giving the student journalists authoritative technical assistance in as many fields of newspaper production as possible. A number of eminent journalists had been invited to give talks. One of the many subjects discusssed at the Conference was the question of censorship in the student press. At the present time, four student newspapers in Britain are subject to censorship, these being: "Union News" (Leeds), "Guild Gazette" (Liverpool), "Nonesuch News" (Bristol), and "Gownsman" (Lampeter).

Anti-Latinists at Oxford won a very narrow victory at the beginning of May in their fight to abolish compulsory Latin. After discussions lasting two hours, the University Congregation to which representatives of all the colleges belong, voted 249 to 244 in favour of amending the University Statutes, which call for Latin as a compulsory entrance subject. Supporters of the change stressed that they did not wish to abolish Latin; it will become an optional subject rather than a requirement for the entrance examination, with German and Russian as further electives. The decision will become effective, however, only when it has achieved a two-thirds majority. The University Parliament at Cambridge has also voted to abolish Latin as an entrance requirement. Here, the majority was larger, 325 votes against 278.

On May 8 the Arts Building of Exeter University had been opened by Princess Margaret. On this occasion the Guild Council protested most strongly at the complete lack of discussion between the students and the authorities about the arrangements for Princess Margaret's visit. As stated by the president, Princess Margaret had expressed a wish to spend a whole day at the University and to meet the students informally. According to the arrangements made by the authorities her only contact with the students, apart from her meeting with Guild Council for tea, was seeing them, as a student called it, "treated like cattle and put up in enclosures" or lined up outside the buildings.

France

In December this year, the International Centre for Higher Education in Journalism in Strasbourg will for the first time offer a six-months' course in methods of teaching journalism, open to journalists with a fairly wide experience in their profession. Immediately beforehand, in November, there will be a short course for students who have just completed journalistic studies in their own country. This short course is intended mainly for students from economically less-developed countries, with emphasis this year on countries of Africa.—(UNESCO, Paris.)

Greece

The International Relations Club of Thessaloniki University runs talk series on European university education, as part of its programme to represent other countries' civilisations to the students of the University. The club is also keen to contact similar clubs in other countries, and would welcome correspondence. Write to Mr. P: G. Kokkas, Secretary-General of International Relations Club, Nikis 15, Thessaloniki, Greece. (ISMUN Bulletin, Geneva.)

Israel

In protest against next year's fee increases, the Student Association of Hebrew University called a strike and demonstration at the end of March. A delegation of students was received by the Minister of Education, who offered to study any suggestions for improving the system of providing loans to deserving students. The students told the Minister that the increased fees were above the means of the majority of the students and that the proposal that students should repay the loans from their salaries after graduation would prove very difficult—(Jerusalem Post/Information d'Israel, Tel-Aviv.)

On March 18, two students from Haifa Technical Institute were expelled for cheating on semester exams. After trying unsuccessfully to get a reversal of this decision, which they considered too harsh, the student body called a strike. School authorities then met on April 15 to discuss the matter again, but decided to uphold the decision for expulsion. The student body announced that in consequence, they would not call off their strike.—(Jedioth Chadashoth, Tel Aviv.)