Overseas Students' Seminar

Overseas students met on Saturday, 11 April, to discuss problems they encountered while studying in New Zealand.

The seminar was organized by the National Affairs Committee whose aim was to bring problems peculiar to overseas students to the attention of the Students' Association.

Such problems as New Zealand's immigration policy, accommodation and language difficulties were of basic concern, but numerous other problems were brought up by the students.

Miss Ruth Swatland, student counsellor, briefly addressed the meeting of about fifty. "We know overseas students have problems," She said. But she also pointed out I there are great similarities in the problems overseas students have and those New Zealand students have.

She appealed to overseas students to speak up about their problems and asked the meeting to consider far wider problems than those already known.

The meeting split up into small discussion groups. The NAC had prepared a topic sheet in order to find out what problems these students have.

The immigration policy of the Department of Labour received considerable discussion. Most overseas students were unaware of immigration policy. It was pointed out that the few rules the Department of Labour does have are unevenly applied.

Some overseas students said they could not understand why the university readmitted them after not having gained two units in two years and the Department of Labour said they must leave New Zealand. The opinion of the meeting appeared to be that the University's decision should be final.

Accommodation was a sore point with some students. They claimed there appeared to be a breakdown in the service. Others claimed to have been misadvised on accommodation. But Margaret Bryson pointed out that this was the first year that the accommodation service was short of places for overseas students.

One student said that she had been advised that a place was waiting for her and just before she left for New Zealand she was told that there was no place for her. She had to arrange her own accommodation.

Many other problems were also raised. Advice on aspects of life in New Zealand was given by those New Zealanders present.

A request was made to establish a co-ordinating committee to co-ordinate the activities of the various overseas groups at Victoria. But this was already being planned by International Committee.

In the concluding discussion most felt that the true value of the meeting was that overseas students got to meet more people and that they now know where to look for help and advice.