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Salient. Victoria University of Wellington Students' Newspaper. Volume 31 Number 15, July 9, 1968

Letters to The Editor

page 15

Letters to The Editor

Taylor Gets Full Power

Sir (Bill),

Letter to the Editor:

For Publication

I see I'm being got at anonymously and obliquely by your freedom fighter for student rights—Douglas White. I am teribbly sorry it was inconvenient for him that my statements on student power and student rights were published on the Frontpage of Salient on His open day, What a nuisance!

If dear Douglas had bothered to come to the meetings on student power he would have heard me attack the smug, complacent and bigoted attitude of current student politicians. These student politicians. Mr White is—are more worried about their public image, about the public image of their students, than in representing students, pressing for a greater say in university administration by students, full control of student facilities by students, increasing bursaries, making changes in the university and educational system.

Mr White is part of the establishment, He can't represent students properly when he does things like:

... agree that the meetings of the Student Participation Committee should be in "committee", that is, secret.

... agree that his executive should not see the books of the student caterer.

... agree that NZUSA should not, at this stage, press for higher bursaries.

Mr White wants to hush things up, keep things quiet, so (of course) he can keep control. Has changed occurred when things have been quiet? When there hasn't been a chance for full discussion of the issues? When layabouts such as Mr White are doing the "leading"?

Nothing will come out of the Committee on Student Participation in the University, other than perhaps another committee, to be used by the university as a fob for keeping things quiet. And why? Because Mr White and his crew, representing students mind you, haven't the guts, the confindence, or the knowledge to suggest real change in the system, to really voice the real feelings or students. These people are playing a game, They don't really know what student power is really about. They don't know the university administration is running scared, that students could get substantial changes in the system.

But what are students generally going to do about this? Probably nothing, until things get so bad they'll kick Mr White and his politician, career-minded colleagues where they deserve.

Off The Executive Out Of Power! Up The ...

Alister Taylor.

Bill—hope you can publish this in full, possibly photocopy it. Luv, A.T.

The march

Sir—Amidst the atmosphere of a game, with those ever-present adolescent boobies who swear at the cops and shout at onlookers (to some workers on a building site: "Scabs", "Blacklegs!", "Why aren't you on strike?"), and the confusion of purpose, the flaunting of in-group symbols, chanted slogans, self-important march "officials", giggling students enjoying the novelty of holding up traffic, the plain insincerity of so much of it—there was at least, for some of us I think, a small infusion of dignity. Maybe the march accomplished nothing (could not Kirk have spoken to us, rather than attend the opening of Parliament to hear what Her Majesty's Government was doing in South-East Asia.?)—may be a sense of worker-student identity was achieved ("wot are 'ave they got that red flag up then for? Down with Socialism! Out commos!").

And it was worth it really. Dignity a precious thing—to a student, almost as much as to a man who is unemployed.

Yours faithfully,

David Harcourt.

Spiked

Sir—The painted steel coat-hanging pegs in the men's cloakroom of the Union Building are extremely dangerous in my opinion, and steps should be taken immediately to make them less dangerous. The light-coloured paint on them blends with the surrounding lighting, making them virtually invisible.

On two occasions in the last eight months. I have bumped my head on these projecting spikes, and my eyesight is normal. Persons of less than normal eyesight are placed in a most hazardous position, and it is only a matter of time before someone will lose an eye or otherwise seriously injure himself.

The danger could easily be lessed by the use of coloured paint, or by the placing of some kind of contrasting rubber buffer on these metal projections, Yours Faithfully,

Open day

Sir—I was very pleased to have the opportunity of responding to the invitation extended to the Public to visit the University.

I deemed it a great privilege to be allowed to 'sit in' at some of the Lectures, which were for me most interesting and instructive.

I was, however, concerned for both the Lecturers and Students, because of the numerous extraneous interferences they had to suffer during the various lectures, but perhaps it was myself only that was over sensitive and that neither the Lecturers or Students were in any way perturbed.

I venture to address this letter to yourself in response to your invitation in your magazine "Salient" and take the liberty to refer to one aspect of life at the University. I refer to the Forum held on the Campus.

Apparently a number of the students took the opportunity to speak on the topic "Freedom" referred to on the front page of the magazine. It is well known that the trend among the youth, not only it the Wellington University, but throughout the world, they have a chip on their shoulders, due very largely to their failure to face up to the reality of life. They fail to understand, or refuse to understand, the meaning of their existence, and resort to behaviour, mannerisms and expressions of a cynical nature altogether Non-conformist to accepted practices in orthodox civilised society. This is done. doubtless, in order to express their frustration, or as I prefer to call it, their inability to express upon others their own personality and their immature intellectual development.

They fall back on seepticism and cynicism, and what, to my mind, is worse, blasphemous expressions.

I would like to add to the quotation shown in the contribution by Tony Jacques, the following:—"Freedom is not licence to do as one pleases, but an opportunity to do what is right."

I hope I may be forgiven for being forthright, but I do so, as one who neglected the opportunity extended to me, as a Child, to be taught, and have had to learn the hard way through experience.

Wishing you and your fellow pupils every sucess.

I remain, Yours very sincerely,

M. R. Humphreys.