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Hunter falls

The fate of Hunter is sealed—it is to be demolished and a building of "architectural distinction" is to be erected in its place.

Most of the justifications of the move were that it was "facing reality" especially in the present economic situation. To quote the Chancellor, Hunter is "a completely useless building".

So the grand old lady is to go (conveniently' timed in the holidays). It will, undoubtedly be a great loss to the asetic qualities of the university, the rest of the structures being architectural abortions.

The SIS Bill came in for some attention at Council and the following was passed with only four dissents (two being the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor):

"Bearing in mind that university is constituted for the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination and maintenance thereof by teaching and research, and believing that these aims can be fully achieved only if their pursuit is unimpeded by any restraint on the free play of ideas and argument anywhere on the campus, this security intelligency service amendment bill now before the House will, if enacted, seriously threaten the ability of the university to discharge its constitutional obligations, and calls on the Government to withdraw it".

In the course of the discussion, it was revealed by two Council members that the SIS has in the past had agents in the lecturing staff. Walter Scott (also Chairman of the Council for Civil Liberties), Stated that in the late '50's, one lecturer was engaged in surveillance activities on campus. Prof. McCreary (Social Work) said that he knew of others over his time at VUW.

Under the new provisions, Walter Scott pointed out, the identification of such agents would be illegal, and the expulsion of them would be made near impossible. Interception warrants used by campus agents would be, in common language, licences to steal and bug documents, files, essays or anything else.

The University as guardians of freedom of speech and action, had to make a stand said Walter Scott.

The Council must be congratulated for their courageous and principled stand in asking the Government to withdraw the bill. This is despite attempts by the Chancellor to sabotage the motion by firstly trying to water it down, and then by putting it off till next Council when the Government Bill may well have been passed.

Vic students who expected the Chancellor and Vice-Chancellor to be in the vanguard of this call for non-interference of the state forces in the affairs of the University would have been dissappointed by their essentially gutless stand.

The only other matter of interest to come up were details of genetic work being done here at VUW, new signposting for the university and a letter which will disappoint those who have worked so hard for the Overseas Student Cutbacks campaign. The Minister of Education in a letter to Council states:

"I shall look forward to your Council's long-term proposal with the greatest interest but I am afraid that the Government is not prepared to make any changes in the quota system that restricts the number of private overseas students who enter from any one country. The Government is aware that the number of students available from other traditional sources is not sufficient to make up the total number of places offered by the universities but considers that this is a situation that will correct itself in due course". The question is being referred to the Professorial Board [unclear: for] a decision.

—David Murray.