Take it All Off!

A short paragraph in last week's Salient (No. 24) dealt with sale of the names and addresses of past students to commercial firms. The University Administration through Peter Cullen, has admitted that this used to happen, though it has now been discontinued. Earlier this year it was found out that the photographer who took the enrolment photographs was quite willing to allow the police department to inspect the same.

These two events may not, at first glance, seem to be related to each other. However they are both inroads to what one might call personal liberty and freedom. This is not unusual in today's society, but what annoys me personally is that this sale, was made by the institution, one of whose basic functions is to uphold such values. What is worse, in the case of the sale of names and addresses, this was done by that portion of the University Community in whom the respect for such values should be at their highest.

For such reasons I feel that the Administration should make a full public statement about what was going on: How the practice originated, and how long it has been going on for? For something of the nature has more than purely financial considerations. You know, the old cry of the worker against the management, 'We're people not just industrial units of labour.'

There's another point that can come out of this too. Presumably this practice has been going on for some time, why hasn't someone questioned it before? I think I know the answer to that. No-one outside the central administration knew it was going on. This brings up a further question. Why weren't we informed of this previously? Its alright to say, well its all over now, the damage has already been done, but an inquiry at this stage could prevent a similar situation from recurring, possibly with slightly more disastrous results. It might also bring out the true facts of the matter. There is nothing worse than having a load of half-truths and rumours running around.

You never know, it might uncover some more questionable practices. This is something we now know about; how much more is there that we don't know about!

In the preceeding evaluation of the position I have tried to be as objective as possible, but I feel I must finish with a personal opinion: The Administration ought to have known better and should bloody well be ashamed of themselves.

Never Trust an Editor

Your decision to close correspondence on the MSA/MSSA controversy is probably the correct one. I think we are all agreed that there was too little evidence to substantiate the allegations forwarded. It is heartening to know that even you have agreed that the Malaysian Security isn't really interested in this controversy.

However, I find your reason for stopping correspondence, viz, "Malaysians sort it our yourselves downright disgusting and patronising. I suppose you can take such an attitude because after all "they" are not part of "us". If this is the way you play, so be it. I often thought you are one of those "liberal-humanist" who knows no colour, race, creed or national barriers.

I see the MSA/MSSA disputing as a primarily Malaysian students concern. Malaysians are different from New Zealanders by virtue of several thousand years of cultural separation. You overreact sir. This is a newspaper for 6000 students and / think most of them gave up trying to follow the MSA/MSSA argument in Salient some time ago, if they ever began. / recognise colour, race, creed and national differences, and / believe its only by recognising the differences and sorting out what they are, and why they are that we will be able to have respect for each others ways with a minimum of prejudice. We are different. The problem is in your own mind.

An Open Letter to the University

I'm finishing my 4th year at university. In the 4 years I've been here I've learnt nothing from what you've given me, a little from what I've stolen. (You give from your arse, I've stolen from your mouth.) Thank Christ I've resisted your efforts to pervert my mind. All your teaching has managed to do is waste my time.

I've learnt to hate the crass obscenity of your myopic corruption. You will have to learn to give us what we want and what we need. That is no request for compromise and concessions, but a demand for complete reforming according to our needs.

If you won't help in the building, together, of a new world, our patience will swiftly dissipate. Waiting and frustration is slowly giving way to anger and violent impatience.

If you won't give us what we need to create an alive future for man, rather than continue our acceleration toward oblivion, be warned, (the time will come when)

• we'll smash you!
• we'll smash you!
• we'll smash you!

Unsigned

Power to the Armchair

The letter from the "Group of Malaysian students who learn from the N.Z. people" makes me ashamed. Those students, whoever they are, are nothing more than scabs and shits. In truth, they are miserable pathetic "middle-class arm-chair critics." polluted by the Western approach to revolution. By writing to Salient and generally campaigning through such reactionary newspapers, these students have betrayed the true cause of revolution. Everyone knows that a true revolutionary does not talk. He acts.

If these students are so concerned about the Liberation movement fighting back home, they should be there fighting hand-in-hand with their brothers and sisters in the jungle with all the mosquito bites, malaria, leeches, tropical monsoons, venomous snakes, scorpions and of course muds.

A revolutionary commits the most despicable sin when he employs tactics only to be found in the so-called western revolutionaries who are nothing more than social reformers.

My friends, words like "facism", "revolutions", "suppression" and "law and order" have their holy meanings. Please don't advocate for revolutions when you don't know what you are talking about. Might as well resign yourselves to being middle-class arm chair critics which anyway you already are. Your letter criticising the N.Z. political system is a paradigmn example of what this phrase means.

Shithouse Paper

Why in hell's name can't this university provide respectable toilet paper? For the last three years I have been hopefully waiting for a change — the texture of it to occur, but to no avail. Consumer magazine once did a people-preference survey on packets of loo-paper, and the 2% or so who voted for the horrible brown greaseproof nonabsorbing paper we get at Vic liked it because it is strong. Strong it is, and also unyielding — if you scrumple it, it goes into sharp points which are kind neither to my piles nor my genitalia, and if you make a pad of it you get wet fingers owing to water running off the surface. If Massey can provide Babysoft, why can't Victoria?

Students Always Know Best

As a second-year Political Science student I would like to support the article written on Political Science by Campbell and Wilson last week. It's high time members of the teaching staff were asked to openly defend the bases of their work.

Staff members often say that students aren't really interested in such things, but isn't this an indictment of them (the teachers)? One of the objects of political science should be to produce people who are politically concious and articulate, but how can the present staff and present courses do that? Most of the staff scantily hide their bored conservatism under an academic cloak of 'objectivity'.

The standard of the courses in the Political Science department reflects the abilities of the staff. Their publishing activity seems to have been reduced to glossy class-handouts like Cleveland and Robinson's latest effort which I hear is going to be repeated by Brookes on American politics. Only Wainwright's course on Marx provokes any thought and political response.

The idea of a 'value-free' political science is absurd how can you have an 'objective' science of man's subjective world?

The next class at every stage in Political Science should be devoted to a discussion of the ideas put forward by Campbell and Wilson. Students might as well know where they stand before we sit finals.