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S.R.C. to remain as constituted

The Student Representation Council will remain as presently constituted, but the membership of the Executive will decrease from fifteen to seven in 1970.

This was resolved by a Special General Meeting of the Victoria University Student's Association last week.

A motion moved by the President of the Association. Gerard Curry, and seconded by the President-elect. Margaret Bryson which would have restored the Council to its original form was defeated convincingly after almost one and a half hours of spirited debate.

"Those of us gathered here tonight will realise this motion relates to the SRC." said Gerard Curry, who opened the debate.

He discussed the reasons for the motion, as outlined on an accompanying leaflet which was distributed to those present.

He said that to enhance the chance of representative decisions being taken "it is desirable to create a formal representative structure."

The next speaker, David Kember said he supported the motion.

"The same emotional hysteria which beguiled the meeting in June is threatening to beguile this meeting tonight." he said.

The choice is between a clique and democracy.

He said the present SRC was run by a clique, while the proposed SRC was democratic.

"The freedom these people wanted is just a freedom to waste other people's time."

He said it would be better to have elected reps "soundly and rationally" debating the issues than only interested people coming along.

"It doesn't take a knowledge of Greek to understand the distinction between democracy and anarchy."

"With this proposed SRC we can achieve democracy as opposed to anarchy."

David said that nobody had treated the issue at the meeting in June with a view to the results that ensued.

"Chaos" ensued he said.

Mr Palmer said words like "representative" and "responsible" had come from "a most conservative and illiberal" philosopher in Edmund Burke.

"The SRC is worthwhile because it means that anyone can come along.

"You don't have to be around for a couple of years before your voice is heard," he said.

"We want a new type of democracy which is not open to manipulation by those in the seats of power."

Simon Arnold criticised those who had used "vague" words like "democracy" without defining them.

"If people are not willing to represent themselves, they lose their right to representation by default." he said.

"It is a far better ethic to have people responsible to themselves than to a hazy, amorphous mass."

The next speaker, Stephanie Du Fresne said she had been a member of the SRC at Otago for two years.

"Before SRC meetings a vocal elite dominate faculty meetings. At the SRC meetings they vote en bloc."

Colin Knox said he was a member of the SRC at Otago for three years and in his experience it had worked well.

"It is also desirable that the decision makers be responsible to those on whose behalf they are making decisions," Gerard said.

"This responsibility should be directed towards an electorate."

Gerard criticised the attendance at the meetings and said that elected members would be more likely to feel a greate compulsion to atend, and re main at meetings.

He said a defined member ship would be more likely to be responsive to a workload than an amorphous membership, and emphasised that this workload was substantial.

He said it would be desirable to have a continuing and defined membership in order to produce "stability" and to "avoid erratic change".

The next speaker, Bill Logan, said that even if the proposed SRC would in theory make them more responsible, "they would be responsible to nobody but themselves."

"This should be particularly obvious to you Exec members at the front table," he said.

"Stability is the conservative virtue," he said.

"A body such as the SRC which is sure to have as high a proportion of unopposed members as Exec has, can hardly be called stable."

Mr. Dowling said no provision was included in the motion to ensure that representatives are representative.

"There is no provision for obtaining the faculty point of view," he said.

"The rep may be putting forward the view of his friends rather than the view of the majority."

He said there was no provision for the views of political clubs, who would be concerned with the policy of the SRC would work out.

Seconding the motion Margaret Bryson said she would support the SRC "whatever form it is decided to take".

"But I am interested in what seems to me to be the best formal for the SRC.

"We need an SRC that works.

"Works not only in the sense of functioning smoothly and getting through agendas, but also works at doing the basic ground work and carrying out recommendations.

"It's easy to come along to a large meeting and express an opinion.

"But it is more difficult to be on the committee which must bring down the reports and recommendations for decisions ", Margaret said.

She said Executive was doing this at present.

"I consider an electer SRC with a fixed membership, with committees with a fixed membership, will in the long run he a more powerful and worthwhile body.

"It need not rely on others to prepare and carry out its work, but can do this itself.