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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 38, Number 20. August 8 1975
[Executive election overview]
Voting for the members of next years executive will take place on August 12 and 13 between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.. The two voting booths are located in the ground floor foyer in the Union Building and the foyer in Rankine Brown opposite the main entrance to the Library. A third booth could be instituted this year. If so, it will be placed in the New Kirk Building.
Candidates running unopposed are subject to a "no-confidence" vote. They must receive at least 50% of the votes cast to be elected. Any member of the students' association is eligible to vote at these elections.
The executive is the body responsible for handling the financial and administrative affairs of the association. Association policy can only be formulated by an SRC, SGM or AGM. So candidates who say they will do this and they will do that will not do this or do that unless SRC lets them- such is democracy at Victoria. However, if elected, our new executive members will receive a minimum honorarium of $300. This farcical decision was made at an SGM earlier this year when students treated the meeting like an auction - their votes going to the highest bidder. In practical terms it means that you should expect an executive member to have no excuse for doing nothing or near to nothing. So look for a hard worker and someone with reasonable sympathy with the SRC pblicy they will be representing.
This year's crop of candidates for the Executive elections is one of the most uninspiring ones seen for a long time. The manifestos are almost uniformly dull - the only ones that stand out are those of Stephen Hay, his wife and his brother-in-law. The family's manifestos are clearly set out with definite policy points.
Unfortunately the policy is definitely far-right. The family would destroy the Students' Association as a representative union of its members. It would install 'professionals' instead of 'politicians'. It would make students an open market for any businessman out to make a quick buck. An STB responsible to students would be replaced by private enterprise responsible to profits. New business ventures ostensibly to bring students lower prices but in reality to give eager businessmen a monopoly over a prize market will also be set up by the family. Links with NZUSA, the national representative of university students would also be cut leaving VUWSA without the services of NZUSA's national officers, its co-ordination of national campaigns, and the solidarity of other student associations.
The Hay family is the only trend worth commenting on in this year's elections. Choice for most of the positions is fairly clear-cut and where it is not, the choice isn't exactly varied.
Woman Vice-President looks like being the only contest of interest where Rae Stazengarb, from behind the bar at SASRAC, will be competing with Leonie Morris, a second year student, with a firm stand on women's rights. Rae has the advantage of exposure but Leonie will take the vote of those who believe that a Woman Vice-President should be active over women is issues before being active over organising socials.
However, more important voting the voting for next year's executive for left-wing students is building up a strong SRC in 1976 so that whatever executive is in office is made accountable to students. This is an important function of SRC and is more important these days with increased honoraria for executive members tending to attract the wrong sort of people and the wrong sort of attitude. Executive can do nothing but follow the directives of a strong SRC. Stephen Hay has made it plain what could happen with a weak SRC.
Bruce Robinson