The Victoria University of Wellington Students' Association Executive, to give it its full fat name, is an annually elected body of 13 members of the association, which has authority from the Professorial Board to exercise quite a lot of control over student activities.

Most of the Executive's work is done through small committees of its members or by individual members who then report back with findings or recommendations. Many of the subcommittees have members who do not sit on Exec.

During the academic year Exec, meets about once each three weeks to integrate the findings and workings of the committees, shape a broad policy for the association, promote student interests and work towards providing a better corporate life for students, or let us hope so.

Each member of the Executive is liaison officer to about five student clubs, and a member of none or more committees. Exec should therefore have available at all times a fair knowledge of what is happening among the most active and the best-informed students at the University. Its dealings should be based on the assumption that all committee members and all officers of clubs are its equals in good sense and its superiors in specialised information. If its motives and its members are to be understood at all they will be understood through Salient.

It will be profitable to make certain criticisms. It's debatable, to begin with, whether all members of Executive appreciate the facts laid down above. Secondly, the group seems to lack the impetus and direction which comes from a common, clearly discerned object, that of student betterment. Lastly, it has a tendency to make foolish and immature decisions and actions. Its injunctions to the Editor of Salient to call election meetings is a case in point (especially as the Editor has not heard about it). Yet this Exec is similar in quality to those of the last three years.

Consider, however, the four most important positions on the Executive in order—President, Secretary, Treasurer and Men's Vice-President—bearing in mind the fact that while John Marchant and Brian Shaw held the Secretary's place that office became equal in importance to the President's.

The election of Peter O'Brien as Secretary with no previous Exec experience was somewhat offset by his assiduity, but he remained a junior member, and his ill-judged resignation left the position very weak. It is no reflection on the Acting Secretary David Davy and his assistant Bernice Jenks that the President therefore probably takes too much upon himself.

David Wilson, co-opted by the last Exec, elected Vice-President, and finally elected as President at the election' last year, is a talented organiser. He is also somewhat isolated. Too often he feels that he should handle this matter and that himself, and this is intensified by his distrust (mutual) of various members and his feeling that most of the association officers are somewhat inexperienced. He is doing a disservice to himself and to students by not delegating as much as possible and trusting his fellow members as much as he can.

On their part, Exec members might co-operate more and snipe less. Mr Wilson took on a very difficult job and made a very good showing. His chairmanship is somewhat more delicate than it was.

Barry Hume, in his third year, goes quietly along as the best Treasurer we can recall. In discussion he represents an unchanging point of view, but rarely moves with arguments and ideas. He has, though, a regrettable flair for summarising the views of the Executive as a whole on questions of principle, generally wrong.

Vice-President John Hercus is, as they say, still developing. At the January meeting when Mr Wilson was away, he controlled the small group present very well. He also showed a tendency to run the meeting like an amiable, exclusive club. It might not be a bad idea.

Cherry Pointon, Women s Vice-President and quite a worker on her own account, has under her the best Women's Committee in several years—the sensible, inevitable Xtian Bernice Jenks, Elizabeth Beck, an excellent organiser, enthusiastic, most often wronged or in the wrong, and Sharon Thompson, anxious, earnest, also enthusiastic, but more careful.

The Men's Committee is somewhat attenuated. Brian Shaw is in Indonesia on leave of absence till March. Mr Nandan, co-opted by the Executive to speak on behalf of Asian students, has not shown his colours much. His place will be contested, along with Mr Plimmer's, at the elections next month. Armour Mitchell is growing old rather fast for a young man, but seems the most likely coming Men's Vice-President.

Miss Margaret Williams has also been a member.

These people, with two men and a Secretary to be chosen in March, are your Executive. The chances are that all the important offices on next year's Exec will be filled by four or five of them. Both they and the rank and file students should be observing their performance to see who can best speak for the students and watch over their interests. Judging from the passive immaturity shown at one time and another by most of the men, you'll be a good time picking.

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