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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Vol 35 no. 14. 28 June 1972

Editorial: Of Whims And Acronyms

Editorial: Of Whims And Acronyms

The proposed union is neither a surprising nor an un-weildy change, as STANZ has for some time been a puppet of the larger body. The metaphor is particularly apt because STANZ has formerly been a gutless if not altogether lifeless body. Uncle NZUSA is merely putting it all in writing, as usual. Writing will involve one of the more tangible aspects of the union insofar as the letterhead is to be changed to say, 'the NZ National Union of Students Inc' with the small print 'incorporating the STANZ and the NZUSA'. But while the sharks are at it, why do they hesitate to swallow the 'technical institutes'? The mutual report does mention them, admitting that they can no longer be regarded as lesser educational institutions. Has NZUSA approached the students associations at the Technical Institutes to see whether they want to join this National Union of Students? If they do want to now is the time (After all we can't go on changing the letterhead, can we?)

In section 2.3 of the report, after a spiel about increased office convenience, the real issue is hinted at:...constituents would then be part of a larger and therefore more powerful organisation. This is as close as the report gets to acknowledging NZUSA's most prominent function which is as a pressure group, and acknowledging that if it 'combines' with such inoffensive people as Training College students, its credibility will be considerably enhanced.

Training college students had better be warned now that after the merger they will be identified with policy of a strength and about such issues that they have formerly not conceived. Nor should they be fooled by the contrived voting system which claims to protect the smaller members from being completely swamped. They're not 'completely' swamped, but it is a case of think or thwim, for the 'system' no better than a sop to the teachers. Of course their having to justify to the public their new found opinions wont hurt them, but if they quail and try to dissociate themselves from the university student it may be too late.

The report does mention, in Section 2.5, NZUSA's 'alleged lack of respectability'. This is attributed to the mass media's tendency to focus on the social and moral aspects of association policy, rather than on its educational policies.

While on the subject of NZUSA's respectability with the public mention might be made of its respectability with students. Students do have sources of information apart from the mass media. Vet they still tend to think of NZUSA as a coordinating body which makes resonant liberal policy never failing to scandalise its members who hang on purely because of NZUSA's proven consession wangling ability. Despite the undoubted interest of the student press in NZUSA affairs (did not Salient recently feature a story NZUSA In Action?) students remain ignorant of the work the national body claims to do in educational reform and social welfare.