Gyles Beckford

For too long the Students' Association his drifted with no clear idea where it is going. The time has come for the "I don't care" attitude to stop. The Association and the Executive cannot remain hidden in the Union Building. If elected President I would see it as my duty and the duty of the executive to go into the classrooms and all over the campus to work for students. Meetings of the Association should be held where the members are and not where they are thought to be. Only then can the Association begin to formulate the priorities which have been lacking.

To my mind some of the priorities are a reorganisation of the Union Management Committee and a doing away with many of the petty bureaucratic bodies which seem to grow and grow. At the same time students must make the major decisions with regards to the Union and the catering services for which they are paying good money.

There is also a need to decide on possible extensions to the Union so that the building fund which gobbles up $8 from each member can be used to benefit all and not left to waste under poor University management or to cover appalling catering losses.

We must also look at ways in which Association money can be better used. I would hope that in 1976 an Accomodation Trust could be established so that the Association can start to build its own flats and houses. This year student money has been used to put on social functions and this should continue on a regular basis with as much variety as possible.

These are some of the priorities which I see as being necessary. However the decision must be that of everyone who pays $30 Students' Association fee. As President, I would continue to strive for a better deal on Student Housing and vacation jobs as well as special counselling for overseas students who are still neglected and left to do battle with government departments with little or no help But most of all I would strive to make the Association a body which was known to and run by all its members.