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Salient: An organ of student opinion at Victoria University, Wellington. Vol. 23, No. 5. Wednesday, June 15, 1960

The State of the Union

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The State of the Union

As you are no doubt aware, the Union Building is now rapidly nearing completion, and as the present Executive's term of office draws to a close it is appropriate that I should report on the Union project and our administration generally.

The Union Project

Over the pas! year the conception of the Union Project has grown front the Building alone to include, also, a separate Gymnasium and Tennis Courts with Pavilion. Therefore, in addition to the theatre, common room, committee rooms, offices and cafeteria, we will have facilities for all indoor sports and tennis.

As you well know we as students, have been contributing £1 per head towards the cost of these splendid facilities, and over the past year the Executive has guaranteed a further £10,000 of accumulated building funds to the Council. Thus of the total cost of approximately £280,000 for the entire project, the students have, over the years, contributed about £100,000. This, you will agree is no small sum. I would like to pay a tribute to all these students— and in particular to those of the last three or four years.

Management And Control

Many of you will recall that two years ago a scheme of control for the Union Building was put forward. It hinged on a Council appointee to be known as the "Warden." We, as an Association, at that time expressed repeatedly our extreme opposition to such a scheme. After discussion, two fundamental principles emerged. Firstly the University Council is the legal owner of the buildings and cannot divest itself of the consequent responsibilities. Secondly, the facilities should be used to the fullest extent for the benefit of the University, and first and foremost for the benefit of the student body. It was, therefore, necessary to find a solution which took these two eomplementary principles into account.

Management Committee

After many months of necessary and worthwhile discussion and negotiation, the University Council has decided to delegate the control of the Union Buildings to a committee to be known as the Students' Union Building, Management Committee. This committee has a majority of past and present student representatives; the remainder of the committee comprising the Vice-chancellor, the Physical Education Officer, a Professorial Representative, a Council Representative, and an Executive Secretary.

Executive Secretary

The Executive Secretary will be a most important and necessary member of the Committee, for he will be primarily responsible for runny long-awaited services to students. I refer to student health, accommodation, employment, welfare, and counselling generally. Efficient co-ordination of such services has been long overdue at Victoria. Executives over past years have attempted to initiate such ideas, but the attempts have invariably proved ineffectual mainly due to the lack of a fulltime co-ordinator to build up an efficient system, and to maintain continuity.

In general, then, what appeared to be problems of management two years ago are now no more. I consider the overall control—together with delegation of specific duties to the Student Executive, sub-committees, or the Executive Secretary, by the Management Committee—to have been placed on a first-rate administrative basts.

Appeal For Furnishings

As I have mentioned the total cost of the project will be approximately £280,000. This figure, however, does not take into account the money required to finally furnish and equip the facilties. Accordingly, the Council has set-up a combined council-student subcommittee to launch an appeal to complete the buildings. The figure aimed at will be in the vicinity of £15,000, and this sum will enable us to be more than adequately catered for.

During the May vacation and this term many students have been, and will be, assisting me in collecting essential data on past students prior to the actual launching. At the moment it is anticipated that a possible launching date will be mid-July.

The appeal, which has been very carefully thought out, will be based on three things, The detailed preparation of lists of past students, an intensive appeal period based on personal contact (student-student), and efficient co-ordination and follow-up.

The Opening

The Executive is already considering the many ideas brought forward as possible Union Building opening functions.

An opening banquet and ball; displays of Historical Club and Association material; plays, films, debates, Jazz, and chamber music concerts; and basketball, badminton, judo and table tennis tournaments—all these and more are under consideration.

While these ideas and plans arc only at a formative stags, I can say with certainty that the opening of our Union Building will be a major civic event.

Association Administration

A close look at the Association's present administration setup is of the utmost importance. To this end the Executive has authorised a Select Committee to completely revise the present constitution and regulations.

This committee has recommended the adoption of a semi-portfolio system for Executive administration. That means five officers (elected In the normal fashion) together with eight committee members elected to specific portfolios. The holder of each portfolio would be chairman of an Association sub-committee responsible for the detailed administration of the portfolio.

Eight Portfolios

The eight portfolios are: Capping, Social, Sport, Publications, Public Relations, Cultural, Men's House Committee and Women's House Committee. Provision for two House Committees may be queried by some but it must be remembered that when the Student Union Building is completed in the near future a large amount of administrative work will arise as a consequence. On some matters the two House Committees will combine but the Select Committee considered it desirable to have a separate committee to deal with matters directly affecting the fair sex.

Advantages Of Portfolio System

(i) Under the portfolio system, students will be elected to specific duties. This will help to clarify the hazy ideas which many candidates have concerning Executive duties, and will lead to greater efficiency on the Executive, as no member will be able to coast along without being noticed.

(ii) The work load will be more evenly distributed amongst the 13 Executive members.

(iii) The Executive will become a combination of experts (the portfolios) and general administrators (the officers). It is envisaged that portfolio members will have served an apprenticeship on one or more sub-committees before they are elected to the Executive. Thus they will be well aware of the problems and duties facing them when they join the Executive, and a continuity of administration will be built up.

(iv) The students will be in a better position to gauge the qualifications of prospective Executive members at election time.

(v) The number of sub-committees will be decreased, and the re-organisation will strengthen the committees which are retained.

(vi) The Executive will refer all minor decisions to the sub-committees and will act as a policy making and co-ordinating body. This, it is hoped, will free the Executive from the mass of detailed work which for some time

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has been affecting the efficiency and smoothness of its meetings.

Revised Constitution

What's more this Select Committee has completely revised all aspects of the Association constitution. Thus at the Annual General Meeting this month the Executive will be presenting a new constitution for your consideration. I would urge you to obtain a copy of this proposed constitution from the Executive office. Also the Select Committee's reports.

Also I would urge all students to make a real attempt to be present at the A.G.M. Important matters affecting student activities, amenities and administration in the new Union Building will be discussed.