Opinion

Simon Arnold

There are 5,000-odd students at this University, of which about 2,000 take time out to vote. Of these about 40 prostitute them selves by standing as candidates. Not only do they prostitute themselves but they prostitute truth, integrity and all other values held dear to the hearts of the good New Zealander. So what, that's Politics—isn't it?

But what do we run our Students' Association (Union?) for? So that we can raise 15 people above our heads, so that we can discuss at great lengths in the Pubs, and in the Caf as to why Curry passed the ball to T. Arnold rather than Logan, Saunders et alia in early '69. Or is this just a throw-back to our Rugby (Union?) fore-fathers?

Perhaps this is why we have an Exec, and the average student never finds out about it because those that get on don't let on as to how many many cocktail parties they got in their term, and those that don't get on never know.

But we do have a number of organisations under our control, the largest being the Student Union Building (the horrible yellow thing with workers all over it, in case you've never been there). We have a majority of students on the committee that that runs this building, four of these were appointed by the Exec., three are Exec. members, the president is a member and chairman ex-officio on top of that.

When Did You Last Hear Of Anything That Went On At This Body?

We got these positions (and many others) because last year's Exec. (on the basis of a motion passed at an A.G.M. decided that 'students' were crying out for representation on bodies throughout the university. So we got representation on everything from the Library Advisory Subcommittee of Council to the Professorial Board. And each of the 25 that are left after taking away the 15 that actually get on Exec. found a position on some little committee (admittedly after Exec. had grabbed the cream of positions for themselves, "I mean to say we have the job of appointing these reps. and we are the elected representatives of the students.")

Of course these reps. now have the chance to bite the hand of God that put them where they are. The Reps. on Arts Faculty and on the Language and Literature Faculty Committees didn't bother to tell Exec. what went on at a combined meeting of those committees when it discussed the language requirement for B.A.

So If Exec. Doesn't Hear What Hope Have You?

Then again there's our House Journal Salient (trying to forget it's a House Journal without losing the $5,000 a year that we give it). It seems to cater for student malconents who have their pet rave and go on and on and ...

So that the position is the "student body" has certain responsibilities to fulfill, mainly towards itself. So we elect politicians to administer these responsibilities. These politicians then elect more representatives etc. ... if Parkinson wrote nothing about this he never envisaged organisations reaching such horrific proportions.

So what do we do? Denign the responsibilities as ours, forget about being unrepresented, dissolve the Union and pass the responsibility for the S.U.B. over to the Administration. Alternatively we could experiment with other forms of administration for our Union. A Student Representation Council has been mooted (without wishing to quote any of the lawyers on Exec.) with about 70 people on, 40 elected, 30 being people who represent students throughout the system. But Are You Going To Stand? No.? So we have a few more positions than the faithful 40 can fill.

We're getting nowhere. Exec. gets no response from the 'students'; we give no response because Exec. doesn't worry us—why should it? Where do we break the circle?

What A Pity Were Not Living In The Same Flat As Curry, Then We'd All Be On Exec. And What'S More There Would Be No Problems Of Communications.

Then again He snores.

So why not cut the cohabitation kick.

Let's have a Secretary, Treasurer and President, give them a hundred dollars or so a year, have a financial subcommittee of about 7 people to guide in financial matters (we need expertise, even if it does come in the form of Commerce students) and all of us getting together about once a month to decide policy etc. and to elect our representatives.

But then again you wouldn't come along would you?

But your vote would be registered as lack of interest (which it is) and you would have the chance to be interested would(n't) you?