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Salient. Victoria University Students Newspaper. Volume 38 Number 8. 1975

Prof Board Notes — Prof. Board: Part 2

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Prof Board Notes

Prof. Board: Part 2

Another meeting of that august body of Professors who organise our lives was held last Thursday morning. And once again student reps. fought valiantly to uphold the rights of the student majority.

A word of comfort, first of all, to all those Soc. 101 students who found themselves at a Psychology lecture in the first week of term because the Soc. stream they had chosen had been cancelled without their knowing. (Rumour has it that some people are still there). From now on the Registry will notify students who have pre-enrolled if a course that is advertised in the Calender is cancelled — hopefully by letter, but at least by ads. in major newspapers and large notices around the university. Indeed, they will do it as soon as possible and by all reasonable means', says the Board. Not being impossible and unreasonable ourselves, we consider this a fairly magnanimous proposal.

Some more good news (if I may use a borrowed phrase): an Ad Hoc Committee set up at the last Board meeting to look into the problem of the University's acute building needs has recommended that a permanent committee be set up to look into the problem of the University's acute building needs. It is perhaps worth noting here that Professors never decide anything on the spur of the moment. All issues of importance are referred to various committees and then thankfully forgotten about until lengthy reports filter back over the next few years. Getting back to this new committee, however. It actually has two objectives: a) to improve relationships between the university and the community (to appease [unclear: theK elburn] Residents' Association?) and b) to look specifically at the building program. (The Economics Dept. are particularly hot on this, which may have something to do with their banishment from Hunter lawn). Even better, the Board has agreed to hold a one-day seminar for staff and students with the architects of the monstrosities which surround us. The architects will be asked to explain there 'the concepts behind the proposed development of the University site with special reference both to their functional and their aesthetic aspects'. At long last, the hidden beauties of the Cotton Building, and Von Zedlitz are to be unveiled, it seems.

The lecture and exam timetable controversy continues. Further mind-shattering figures were revealed in the latest report of a investigating committee which give some idea of the immensity of the timetabling task. Did you know, for example, that 1440 courses every week have to be fined into 38 hourly slots when only 67 classrooms are available at any one time?.........hmmmmm. But it's all right and everything's under control because we now have a committee dealing with the problem. The aim is a complete review of timetabling principles and procedure by 1977.

And now a word about Bursaries. The situation is confusing since Prof. Board supports student efforts to increase bursaries but has not come out in favour of a standard tertiary bursary. The Bursaries Committee which reported at the meeting, concerned itself with patching-up the present system e.g. enabling part-time students to gain Fees Bursaries more easily, dropping the distinction between the A and B Bursary, and extending the bursary to cover up to ten rather than nine units. While these changes are good in themselves, they become slightly overshadowed by the standard ternary bursary for all students which we are pressing for.

That's about all for this month. The rest of the ninety-seven page agenda was waded through with varying degrees of difficulty and interest (usually more and less, in that order). Finally, just as the clock struck twelve, everyone heaved an enormous sigh of relief, picked up their papers and descended from the Conference Room to rejoin the rest of struggling humanity.

(to be continued)...

P.S. Prof. Board Reps. waiting to be approached are:

Pat Martin

Pip Desmond

Giles Bechford