Success At ISC

The New Zealand delegation was very successful at Christchurch, claim its members. As host union they were appointed to the steering committee, to the credentials commission, and were voted into the supervision committee by a satisfying number of delegations. At the last ISC at Quebec, NZUSA was very much outside the political manoeuvres. "Now we are well and truly in the midst of the international student world," stated W. J. Falconer, International Vice-President of NZUSA at a recent resident executive meeting.

"The International Students' Conference is like a miniature United Nations," said Falconer. He illustrated his remarks by pointing out that the 11th ISC at Christchurch adopted a charter setting out its fundamental beliefs, condemning all forms of oppression and injustice. It set up a secretariat with complete powers of decision and action in the inter-conference period and established a dual membership system whereby those national unions ratifying the Charter in full and complying with its qualifications would be granted full status—whereas those unions which agreed to co-operate with the ISC but could not ratify the Charter for internal political or other reasons, would be granted associated status.

"It's a western charter," said Falconer, "because it condemns oppression in totalitarian and communist countries. The ISC has alienated many communist countries which will probably never co-operate now with this organisation."

He pointed out that NZUSA was, in reality, the representative of the Asian countries on the supervision committee, a position of tremendous importance.

Falconer also outlined his plan to set up an international committee to promote understanding of internal student problems and to carry on the start made. He proposed an annual seminar at Queen's Birthday weekend to help formulate NZUSA policy in international affairs.