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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria University College, Wellington N.Z. Vol. 21, No. 7. June 11, 1958
Let's have a Binge
Let's have a Binge
Among the Orientation Week activities was a recruiting campaign by the E.U. This took the form of a banquet to which Freshers were invited and it apparently was a most lavish and successful evening. So far so good. But the next episode relates an application to Exec. for the cost of their function.
The final instalment was the granting by the Exec. (Tuesday, 27th) of the sum of £31/14/4 to cover the cost of the Dinner.
It seems rather obvious that this is either favouritism or a deliberate misapplication of student funds.
When the Budget for the coming year was discussed it was stated that this year V.U.W.S.U. would be operating on a "shoe-string" budget. Surely the granting of large amounts for recruiting campaigns is incompatible with this statement.
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It would be interesting to see the result of a similar application by, say the Labour Club, for £30 for the purposes of inviting its friends along to a party. Surely if the Exec. are to be at all consistent then they would be forced to supply the necessary funds.
Surely E.U. members will exercise their Christian Conscience and treat the £31/14/4 merely as a loan and take the suitable steps to repay the amount. But even a gesture of this sort does not explain the action of the Executive in granting the amount. Perhaps a comparison will help to illustrate the odious nature of the action.
The Philosophical Society was given the measly sum of £2 to finance its year's activities. The Society is an academic one admittedly but it does not prohibit, either constitutionally or by expecting members to be of a certain frame of mind, any member of the Student Union from its meetings, etc.
The E.U., despite its protestations, has a fairly closed membership.
It appears that all clubs may, at the beginning of the year run functions of the sort that the E.U. did this year. There being 40 odd clubs and societies the sum involved will be roughly £1,200.
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| 1. | To suggest that the Executive is culpable of favouritism or of deliberate misapplication of student funds, is to misrepresent the facts. |
| 2. | Executive was presented with a "fait accompli": the E.U. had already incurred debts which it was, apparently, unable to pay. |
| 3. | Executive was not given any prior indication that such an event was contemplated. |
| 4. | Executive prefer to maintain the good name of the Union by assuming the otherwise bad debts of its affiliated clubs. |
| 5. | Because of this unauthorised activity, the E.U. have foregone their 1958-9 grant, and have received, in lieu of that, a nominal £1. |
| 6. | The Philosophical Society's proposed expenditure for the year was £8; the Society had £6/10/-in the bank; the grant of £2 is, therefore, a liberal one. If the Society wished more to expand its activities it should have taken steps to indicate that fact to the Finance Committee. We are not thought-readers. |
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