Salient. Official Newspaper of Victoria University of Wellington Students Association. Vol 40 No. 26. October 3 1977
President
President
Somewhere in this edition you'll find the comments of M. Berghan recently elected and recently resigned president for 1978.
First of all I would like to congratulate him on his astute observations of students and the purpose for their being at University. It is however, unlikely, that many people are under the illusion that students go to University to become Marxists. It is to a certain extent true that student politicians tend to concentrate more heavily on issues, not of apparent direct concern to students and this should be improved. But the answer to the problems of a Students Association that appears irrelevant is not to give up completely and abrogate all [ unclear: responsibilty] as M. Berghan has done.
First of all we should ask: do we need a students association? The role of a students association is threefold:—it must look after the welfare and protect the interests of its members; it must help promote the social, political, sporting and cultural life; and it must represent its members' interests, whether it be with the City Council, the University or the Government.
The Association hasn't always achieved dramatic results; in some areas e.g., the Cafe, the service has been, to say the least, inadequate. However if we (and I mean all of us) didn't band together and fight against restrictions in the Library, effective cuts to the Standard Teriary Bursary, heavier workloads and attacks to our civil liberties, then we would be in a far worse situation.
The New Zealand economy is is declining rapidly. At the same time this year, there were 2,000 fewer unemployed. Students will face great difficulty in obtaining holiday employment. (If you are in this situation contact me at the Studass office).
Over the summer many crucial decisions will be made which will directly affect the lives of most students. On the 27th—28th October a bursaries conference will take place which has as its main object, reduction in education spending. One of the main proposals is "Student loans", which would have the effect of reducing the value of the Standard Tertiary Bursary. The Government has invited such unrelated organisations as the Employers Federation, in an attempt to swamp the conference with a more conservative opinion.
On the 11th October the Contraception, Sterilization and Abortion Bill will have its second reading. If passed, amended or otherwise, women, especially the less privileged, will find it extremely difficult and doubly degrading to obtain an abortion. Within a week, the SIS bill will be re-introduced to Parliament and if passed will dramatically restrict the democratic rights of New Zealanders.
We cannot afford to just lie down and watch as our living standards crumble around our ears nor can we afford to watch the erosion of our democratic rights.
—Lindy Cassidy.