About 250 students drawn by an attraction similar to a chain-smokers prediction for nicotine accumulated in the various corners of the Union Hall last Wednesday lunchtime. Sure enough at 12.10pm the new President of our students association, Lindy Cassidy, who had been waiting for this opportunity, declared open the first Students Representative Council (SRC) for 1977.

The SRC which rolled on through the next two hours had the distinction of being the policy making body for the students association — a grouping of some 6,000 students. But not much policy was made this time. Instead the main concerns of the SRC were finding out what their executive had been doing for the last two months and electing the main representatives of the SRC — the National Affairs Officer, the International Affairs Officer, the Womens Rights Officer, the Education Officer, the Overseas Students Officer and the Welfare Officer.

Unsuccessful candidate for Womans Rights Officer, Joan Shields.

Cafe Horrors

As is traditional the SRC's first major debate was a slightly ill-informed one about the cafe prices and profitability. The Cafe is run under the Union Management Committee which is controlled by a student majority. It almost invariably makes a loss on its operations and the quality of food, prices and opening hours often cause complaint among students.

All these points were made at the SRC. Some felt that the answer was to learn how things worked downtown and do the same. Others, with more experience, felt that the only cure was the subsidisation of the Cafe by the University on the same basis as most factories and offices provide subsidised meals for their workers. All agreed that a forum, to be presented with all the relevant facts, was necessary. A motion tho this effect was passed and the meeting moved on to an inquisition.

Exec Horrors

The 10 exec members, all of which are paid from $300 to $2000 a year, sent 8 of their number to SRC. All were asked exactly what they had done for the last two months. With some notable exceptions their waffly speeches hardly hid their answer to the question — bugger all. Most astute at avoiding the straight answer were Mark Sainsbury (SRC Coordinator) "there haven't been any SRC's to co-ordinate" and Gerard Cooper (Publications Officer) "let me tell you about a Publications Board meeting".

Some the things that were done in the first two months were the starting off of the assessment campaign (Lindy Cassidy and some other exec members have produced a snappy poster and instituted a class rep system as a buildup to the campaign) and starting off the routine business of the association (manning the enrolment table, helping the orientation controller, getting the catering operation running etc).

The exec members indicated that they are now doing lots of things for us students. For instance, VUWSA Tee-shirts are soon to arrive, as are car-park stickers, and Peter Thrush wants help to organise Easter Tournament "it's at Easter", The City Council has this plan to close down Mount St. which our President has started fighting against although victory is still some way off.

Commissioning of Officers

Mark (but you can call me "Anytime") Sainsbury; SRC Co-ordinator

The sole candidate for the Overseas Students Officer, Mr Munjid Singh, he didn't impress.

Support for Bastion Point

Just before two o'clock the meeting arrived at a policy decision. A motion to support the Orakei Maori Action Committee and the Ngati Whatua people in their land struggle at Bastion Point was passed as was motion giving them $200 for a speaking tour to canvass support. However, as Peter Thrush intimated, SRC can only make policy and it is the executive which finally decides on financial matters so the SRC motion for $200 remains only a recommendation to the executive.

This small amount of policy having been decided SRC disbanded itself just after two o'colock.

SRC's are on Wednesday lunchtime 12-2. SRC's are held every 2 weeks.