Apathy charged

Sir—You have heard it talked about many times over the past few months, by students themselves in private discussions, by the general public when they pass comment on the University and its activities, even by those few whom you mentioned in your last issue of Salient, who actually get round to writing an article for Salient—What is it? Well it has been termed 'Student Apathy' and not without good reason.

It would seem that when it comes to students showing their hand, whether it be in demonstrations, protest marches or even the annual capping celebrations; they all follow like a flock of sheep after those few who, because of their seemingly witty behaviour, appear to stand out as characters possessing some glorified power of imagination. These are the characters who are giving the University and its management a poor image not only to outsiders but to the mass of students within its campus, as signified by the recent bid to introduce more responsible student power into the administration of this University.

Why must we put up with this ridiculous practice of reversing our values and better judgements for the sake of providing humorous incidents for the entertainment of others? The kind of reversal I'm talking about is this negative attitude advocated by the 'Gerard Guthries' and 'Paul Kelly's of this University.

Certainly, we want freedom to express our opinions and there is no reader of Salient who will say that we haven't got the right to exercise this because it is fundamental to each and every one of us. But when a group of students, forming a minority amongst a roll of some 5000, deliberately set themselves up as antagonists and infringe upon others rights (I refer to those characterised by their stark paralogisms in Salient) then it is time for the potential of each individual student to be brought to the fore and made manifest in the face of this blatant disregard for human dignity.

Let us hear no more about student apathy in this University but rather let us progressively hear more about student affability and then and only then ('thenn' in the language of the mathematicians) can we look forward to better interrelationships and social conditions on the campus.