Salient. Victoria University of Wellington Students' Newspaper. Volume 31 Number 15, July 9, 1968
Vice-Chancellor speaks on student demonstrations
Vice-Chancellor speaks on student demonstrations
The vice-chancellor Dr D. B. C. Taylor has suggested students should not exercise their full rights of free expression in the long term interests of the University.
"I am on record in the press as saying that I do not consider the march organised by your Students' Association to have been primarily responsible for those incidents and I wish to repeat that here. In addition I should like to congratulate your Association on their sense of responsibility in issuing such excellent instructions to the marchers prior to their departure.
"I have also said that, since it is the right of any member of a democratic society—whether a student or an ordinary citizen — to express his views in any manner he pleases so long as it is within the law, the University could not forbid such a demonstration. Further, I am sure the marchers were well aware of the boundaries within which their opinions might be expressed. However, I venture to suggest that there are one or two other things which the marches might have considered and, if necessary, made provision for.
"The first of these is the simple fact that, once they had joined the larger demonstration, there was the danger that, being caught up in the emotion of the occasion, they might find themselves involved in situations which bad not been foreseen; and secondly, that should unpleasant incidents take place, blame would naturally be put on the students present.
"Admittedly the title 'student' tends to be applied by many members of the public to anyone between the ages of 16 and 30, but the fact remains that for a large section of our community the image of students at Victoria is, unfortunately, not all that it should be. It is no use shutting our eyes to this and saying that, since it is a totally incorrect picture, we need do nothing about it. In fact it is vitally important that we should do something about it since public opinion has a very great influence on the Government's attitude to the Universities. Even before these unfortunate incidents took place there was some indication that the Government was concerned at the present time of expenditure on New Zealand Universities and would wish to make a very careful review.
"Reports of the recent incidents will only lead the Government and the public to believe that there is a large irresponsible element among our students and that, consequently, a great deal of money is being wasted on institutions which are expected to turn out the intellectual leaders of our society.
"The consequences of such thinking could be very painful for us all, particularly you students for, without sufficient finance, we wit be unable to provide the teaching staff, class rooms, laboratory space, scientific apparatus and books to cope with the ever increasing numbers of students.
"For the University itself, in the long term, since we are ultimately judged on the quality of our graduates it would mean that we sank lower in the 'pick order' of Universities and your degrees would, therefore, count for less in the university world at large.
"This, to say the least, would be a great tragedy, undoing the work of many devoted teachers over the 70 years during which Victoria has emerged as a mature and independent University whose degrees have international currency.
"My plea therefore is for responsible and thoughtful action. To those fo you who feel motivated to demonstrate publicity I should like to ask you to bear in mind what I have said and, in fact, I would go so far as to suggest that there is possibly a case for not exerting your full rights under the law in this sort of situation.
"To those of you who lake little or no interest in such demonstrations I would point out that you have a right and duty to express your opinion on what is done in the name of your Students' Association. It is vitally important that you do so, for the consequences of irresponsible and hastily conceived actions carried out in your name can be very serious indeed for your own futures and that of our University.
"I am very well aware of the magnificent effort you made during the recent University Day to show the public that we arc a serious-minded community doing the job for which we were intended and I know that this, like last year's function, was a great success. Occasions like this do a great deal to repair our image.
"Finally, I should like to warn all of you against the argunments which suggests that any danger threatening the Universities can be avoided simply by further demonstrations. No government, either our present one or any alternative one, can afford to give way to this sort of pressure. To do so is to deny the rule of law which must be the corner-stone of any democratic society."