Intermediate Students Take Note

There is a general feeling among such people that as they are only going to spend one or possibly two years (if they are out of luck) at Victoria that they should restrain from taking part in University activities until they reach their more permanent place of study.

If this idea is acted upon then both the College and the intermediate students are deprived of something worth while.

The College loses through the lack of interest taken in its affairs by the students. Its various activities in cultural and sporting fields fail, or at the most only obtain a small modicum of success. The College as a whole suffers more extensively from the indifference of the intermediate student than from any other one section of the College. This is due to the fact that the intermediate students make up a large percentage of our all too small community of full-time students.

The intermediate student also misses out on much that the University has to offer. On the cultural side he rejects the opportunities to broaden his somewhat narrowed outlook. He has no opportunity to lose some of the scientific one-sidedness that develops when cultural activities are ignored.

In the social sphere many opportunities to mix with people of your own interests are rejected. The social activities of the various clubs not only deserve your support but are put on for your benefit. They give you the chance to develop friends outside your ex-college pals and enable you to become members of a far more extensive community. The very important point of finances should not be overlooked. University donces, tramps and trips are run with an eye to making the meagre income of the student stretch as far as possible.

Being New Zealanders the sporting side should not be overlooked. Here the advantages far outweigh any of the supposed drawbacks you may think up. First the cost—when you pay the Students' Association fee it entitles you to membership of all the college clubs. This means that if you are an active sportsman you can obtain for £2/12/6 membership of various sporting bodies which could cost you anything up to £10 (also playing for outside clubs docs not exempt you from paying the Student's Association fee). You would be playing with others whose difficulties regarding such things as practice attendance would be similar. These difficulties, which could make things awkward in outside clubs, are just the usual thing in varsity clubs. The temporary nature of your stay may in outside clubs, be a barrier to any advancement. In the College., clubs have become immune to seeing carefully coached and trained players leave for other centres. They have developed a very philosophical attitude of stoical acceptance and have not allowed it to interfere with their assessment of a player's value.

The other important point which intermediate students should keep in mind is that tournament eligibility is affected if you play for outside clubs when a corresponding university club is available.

When all things are considered you will see that your place is not with Old Boys' teams but with the teams of the university of which you are now a part. If V.U.C. University is to mean anything more to you than Just a stepping-stone to one of the other colleges then join the college clubs. If you take the attitude of some and consider that your intermediate year at Victoria is just something to be endured—then wake up now. Many students have wasted that first year and have always regretted It. The sooner you become used to the University the sooner you become a university student, whether from Victoria or Otago and subsequent years can be far happier If that all Important first year is utilised.