Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 33, No. 3 18 March 1970

The First SRC Meeting

The First SRC Meeting

Sir,

I was one of those students who attended the first meeting of the SRC last week. No wonder there is an apathetic attitude towards student politics. After listening for half an hour I got so fed up I left, with many others.

Why? When it takes three hours to discuss two motions—relatively straightforward motions at that—one tends to get pissed off. Alright, there is a Constitution to follow but does it have to be followed so rigidly that the whole meeting gets bogged down in protocol so that nothing gets done. Motions are discussed, amended, counter-motions are introduced, so that before long the original motion is unrecognisable

And still the meeting gets smaller.

Perhaps it was the presence of the TV cameras that caused this tedious ritual. Well if this was the case some people certainly made every effort to be seen on camera.

I call it the irony of democracy. The SRC is supposed to be a democratic institution but democratic principles are carried to such a degree that it is extremely hard to see the democratic elements involved, especially as two or three vocal goons can almost ruin the meeting by their interjections and points of order. If this state of affairs' is allowed to continue the SRC meetings will certainly be struggling to keep a quorum. I suggest to Miss Bryson and co. that they take a long hard look at the SRC and try to eradicate the weaknesses that are so prevalent.

D.J. Patten