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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 38, Number 11. May 29, 1975
Tony Ward's 'Executive Drivel'
Tony Ward's 'Executive Drivel'
Dear Bruce,
I feel I must defend myself against Anthony Ward's 'Executive Drivel' in last week's Salient in which he describes my performance as poor. I am loathe to take up pen in such a trivial debate as much as I was loathe to see a good half page of Salient being wasted on such petty claptrap. However, I feel I owe it to members of this association to assure them that indeed I am not doing next to nothing for the Association.
| 1) | The Woman's Vice President's portfolio as I and many of my predecessors have pointed out time and time again is a portfolio that is unspecified. However, even if the Woman Vice-President does not make it her job to create a specified portfolio, there are countless and numerous jobs in and around the office that need constant attention by some exec. members all of the time. |
| 2) | During the Bursaries Campaign my time was freely used to help organisation of activities, debates, paint demonstration placards, etc. |
| 3) | Lee Kuan Yew visited this country in April and both Bryony Hales and I spent a good week in solid activity organising a demonstration and forum in connection with this event. |
| 4) | Last year an SRC motion was passed which called on its members on Union Management to ensure that the Union Management Committee redecorate the Lounge and Smoking Room with kowhaiwhai designs to enable its periodic use as a marae. No Union Management reps teemed interested in fulfilling this directive so I have taken this job upon myself. Last term I spent considerable time with Koro Dewes formulating a report on the matter and arranged to have Charlie Tuarau, a Maori Art Designer come and look at the Lounge and Smoking Room to discuss its possibilities. |
| 5) | I organised, publicised and chaired a Population Forum last term in order to help pave the way for formulation of Studass policy on the population issue. |
| 6) | On women's matters, I have been liasing with the organisers of the United Womens Convention, and consequently helped arrange for the election of two female reps from our association to attend the convention with costs paid. |
| 7) | I have sent numerous letters so far this year to various parliamentarians conveying association policy to them ... among these was a letter to the Prime Minister expressing our association views on the Security Service and on to the Minister of Welfare asking him to clarify the position on unemployment benefits for married female students who may find themselves out of work these coming vacations. |
| 8) | I have made numerous trips to the university creche with Ian Boyd to far this year and have attended Welfare Discussion Groups where other members of the Exec have been absent. |
| 9) | I have chaired a couple of SRC meetings in the absense of the President, which of course I am required to do. |
I'm sorry that Anthony Ward feels that these exercises and more constitute doing next to nothing'. Anthony has a lot of potential as a writer for Salient but not as a John Henderson type of domestic journalist with only generalised back subbing contributions to make about otherwise sincerely active Exec. members.
Diane Hooper