Executive Arrogant

The Executive of Victoria Stud. Assoc. claims to exercise authority because it is a representative body. The question is worth asking: "Who does it represent?"

It does not represent the wishes of students as expressed at Special General Meetings. Rather, it knowingly flouts clear directives of such meetings when these directives demand mass student protests against increased fees. It is afraid of mass action because it knows it does not represent the student body.

It does not represent the wishes of students in that they are constantly forced to make their views known through S.G.M.s rather than through the ordinary channels of executive discussion. S.G.M.s are necessary because vital discussions are behind closed doors out of its usual half-envious respect for big business routine.

If students are not told what their elected representatives are saying to the University Grants Committee, there can be only one reason for it. It is because the Executive is ashamed of what is being said to that committee.

Elements Arrested

It does not represent student because it asks the police to suit press student demonstrations. [unclear: Or] Exec, member has assured the [unclear: writer] it would do "irresponsible [unclear: elements]" good to be arrested. [unclear: It] does not represent student [unclear: opinion:] because it ignores students' [unclear: petions]. The Executive knew that [unclear: 4], students wanted to demonstrat It had no knowledge of student who did not want a demonstration

It chose to act on an assumption for which it had no evidence namely that students did not was a demonstration.

A Student Executive is [unclear: election] to represent students, not to [unclear: control] them. Once it ceases to represent and tries to dictate, them becomes a dictatorship.

It is a dictatorship. Once [unclear: a] executive becomes a dictatorship. [unclear: It] is hypocritical for it to expect students not to undertake direct [unclear: action]. It is the executive which [unclear: have] made indirect action [unclear: impossible] The executive is therefore hypocritical, dictatorial and [unclear: arrogance] Fortunately, it will soon have [unclear: all] face another election.

[unclear: Owen Gagfe]

Support Lacking

Mitchell, O'Brien, Moriarty and their cronies suggest that to protest at the present time, when negotiations are under way, would prejudice our "cause"; they use this contention to excuse the lack of official support for the recent demonstration at the opening of Parliament; in spite of the fact that at the same executive meeting they passed a motion "condemning the recent rises in university fees."

Could it not be that an executive supported and organised demonstration would have added further weight to the present negotiations? Is it not also possible that a protest of an orderly nature (as was the one attended at the opening of Parliament) would have brought before the general public the degree of student dissatisfaction that in fact exists? Might it not be that President Mitchell's position in the National Party hierarchy in some way influenced his Presidential decision?

These questions are worth speculating on, for no matter how much the executive of V.U.W.S.A., and the Association of N.Z. University Students have accomplished in the traditional methods of negotiation (and they have certainly not been idle in this respect) it must be pointed out that no unified, official and organised protest, by the student body, has yet taken place. It should have, and before now.

P. J. R. Blizard.