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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 38, Number 25. 2nd October 1975

How it happened: failure of communication within the law school

How it happened: failure of communication within the law school

The sequence leading up to the abolition of ITA was an example of failure of communications between staff and students, i.e. between people who meet one another every day. For some years the faculty had no firm policy on ITA., but in February 1974 a faculty committee recommended that the matter be 'finally resolved for 1975, by appointing a member of the faculty to report on the working of ITA in 1974 and previous years, with view to recommending to faculty whether or not it be retained for 1975.' The report was to be made after finals results for 1974 were out. Dr Congreve was given the task of making the report.

The effect was to make 1974 something of a test year for ITA. On the basis of 1974 and previous experience, a report and a decision on the report would be made. Note that student reps were present at the February meeting, and that which ratified Congreve's appointment. Congreve reported, as agreed, after the 1974 exam results were out. (Report is available in the Law library). On February 5 1975 the faculty met to consider the Report The student reps present wanted the decision deferred until students had come back from holidays and could be consulted, but this was considered "impracticable:" it would take a month to canvas students and that would take the date of the decision too far into the academic year.

Result: the decision was taken in February when students were on holiday. When we came back we were presented with what appeared to be a 'fait accompli.' It's no use blaming anyone for what happened. But it does illustrate the failure of communications between students and teachers who meet every day and should talk about important issues between them. Students were (I think) not aware that a definite decision was to be made on ITA before the 1975 academic year. My own understanding was that ITA would continue on the same haphazard basis as in 1973-4. Teachers didn't know we didn't know, plus were less interested, because ITA doesn't mean so much to those who don't sit exams. To us it was a vital issue, to them not so vital, our respective interests differed and we students didn't push sufficiently hard to make our interests represented.