Over the pas! year the conception of the Union Project has grown front the Building alone to include, also, a separate Gymnasium and Tennis Courts with Pavilion. Therefore, in addition to the theatre, common room, committee rooms, offices and cafeteria, we will have facilities for all indoor sports and tennis.

As you well know we as students, have been contributing £1 per head towards the cost of these splendid facilities, and over the past year the Executive has guaranteed a further £10,000 of accumulated building funds to the Council. Thus of the total cost of approximately £280,000 for the entire project, the students have, over the years, contributed about £100,000. This, you will agree is no small sum. I would like to pay a tribute to all these students— and in particular to those of the last three or four years.

Management And Control

Many of you will recall that two years ago a scheme of control for the Union Building was put forward. It hinged on a Council appointee to be known as the "Warden." We, as an Association, at that time expressed repeatedly our extreme opposition to such a scheme. After discussion, two fundamental principles emerged. Firstly the University Council is the legal owner of the buildings and cannot divest itself of the consequent responsibilities. Secondly, the facilities should be used to the fullest extent for the benefit of the University, and first and foremost for the benefit of the student body. It was, therefore, necessary to find a solution which took these two eomplementary principles into account.

Management Committee

After many months of necessary and worthwhile discussion and negotiation, the University Council has decided to delegate the control of the Union Buildings to a committee to be known as the Students' Union Building, Management Committee. This committee has a majority of past and present student representatives; the remainder of the committee comprising the Vice-chancellor, the Physical Education Officer, a Professorial Representative, a Council Representative, and an Executive Secretary.

Executive Secretary

The Executive Secretary will be a most important and necessary member of the Committee, for he will be primarily responsible for runny long-awaited services to students. I refer to student health, accommodation, employment, welfare, and counselling generally. Efficient co-ordination of such services has been long overdue at Victoria. Executives over past years have attempted to initiate such ideas, but the attempts have invariably proved ineffectual mainly due to the lack of a fulltime co-ordinator to build up an efficient system, and to maintain continuity.

In general, then, what appeared to be problems of management two years ago are now no more. I consider the overall control—together with delegation of specific duties to the Student Executive, sub-committees, or the Executive Secretary, by the Management Committee—to have been placed on a first-rate administrative basts.

Appeal For Furnishings

As I have mentioned the total cost of the project will be approximately £280,000. This figure, however, does not take into account the money required to finally furnish and equip the facilties. Accordingly, the Council has set-up a combined council-student subcommittee to launch an appeal to complete the buildings. The figure aimed at will be in the vicinity of £15,000, and this sum will enable us to be more than adequately catered for.

During the May vacation and this term many students have been, and will be, assisting me in collecting essential data on past students prior to the actual launching. At the moment it is anticipated that a possible launching date will be mid-July.

The appeal, which has been very carefully thought out, will be based on three things, The detailed preparation of lists of past students, an intensive appeal period based on personal contact (student-student), and efficient co-ordination and follow-up.

The Opening

The Executive is already considering the many ideas brought forward as possible Union Building opening functions.

An opening banquet and ball; displays of Historical Club and Association material; plays, films, debates, Jazz, and chamber music concerts; and basketball, badminton, judo and table tennis tournaments—all these and more are under consideration.

While these ideas and plans arc only at a formative stags, I can say with certainty that the opening of our Union Building will be a major civic event.