Foreign language petition

More than 500 students have signed the petition calling for the Vice-Chancellor to reopen investigations into foreign language requirements.

Petition forms will be available at polling booths today and tomorrow and all students are urged to consider signing it, said the Students' Association Education Officer, Caroline McGrath.

"I hope that more students will also submit their experiences and opinions of reading knowledges and science languages soon.

"Statements supporting the present system will also be considered.

"Circulating the petitions has enabled me to hear many points of view. Some students feel that those whose native tongue is not English are penalised.

"Another case concerns a New Zealand student who has achieved fluency in a foreign language not taught here for a reading knowledge, so must study a third language, much less familiar.

"Others have failed their third attempt.

"I am very grateful that such anomalies have been brought to my attention.

"Also interesting are comments such as those In Mr David Harcourt's letter of the last issue defending the compulsory foreign language requirement.

"All comments and cases are useful in supporting our case.

"Students dislike the foreign language requirements because they see little relevance to some of their degrees; it causes delay in some cases and because its content as a compulsory half unit."