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Executive Ugly Rumours

Last week's executive meeting was a typical dull boring affair only enlivened by the obvious plot over the dismissal of the office manager the week previous.

Everytime the matter was raised a hush fell over the room, several people stared uncomfortably at the ceiling and others pretended that they were deeply involved in reading minutes and reports.

Association secretary Peter Aagaard, who had been absent from the previous meeting, gave the impression of being very annoyed about the whole affair. He gave President Gyles Beckford a mild rebuke for not entering the relevant motions in the minutes and later in the meeting made a stinging attack on the obvious lack of secrecy which proceeded the in-committee section of the meeting

"If people do not respect closed committee, then I do not see any reason to have it. Executive members should be able to live up to the responsibilities imposed on them."

The tension remained during the reading of Mrs Goodall's letter of resignation and the subsequent discussion on the responsibilities and salary of the new office manager (whose position has been advertised). Vice President Steve Underwood presented a paper on this matter, recommending that the salary should be $5500, about $1600 lower than the previous manager's.

At this recommendation, Peter Aagaard quipped: "If I applied for the job, I would lose some of my enthusiasm when I found that I was only getting paid $16 a week more than a telephonist with half my age and experience."

Although Steve suggested that this was a reflection on the telephonist's high salary and not the office manager's low one, it was finally agreed to pay a salary of between $5700 and $6100. There would also be a draft contract prepared for the next executive meeting and work done by Accomodation Officer Scott Wilson on revamping the office systems for housing rental collection.

Seeing a chance to break away from a thoroughly thrashed-out subject. Gyles Beckford moved the meeting onto reports of the various executive members.

Unfortunately Sports Officer Peter Thrush was absent for his third consecutive meeting (there have only been three executive meetings this year!) and consequently couldn't give a report on his work in sports.

SRC Co-ordinator Anthony Ward, wearing the hat of films officer, said there was some concern about people counterfeiting film tickets or outside persons using student cards. He said films committee reserved the right to investigate any abuse of film arrangements.

Vice President Rae Manzengarb reported on the NZUSA Education Workshops where the question of assessment was discussed and, more importantly how to motivate students around this issue. Anthony Ward, who also attended the workshops, mentioned the other topics discussed were women's study courses, Maori and Polynesian education and the Student Price Index for bursaries.

Publications Officer John Henderson represented Vic at the NZUSA International workshop, which seemed to be dominated by discussion of the anti-'76 tour committee and its publicity campaign

Treasurer Mike Curtis brightened up the meeting with the news that for the last year we had a financial surplus of $2500. Gyles Beckford had the last word with a report from a Teaching and Research Centre seminar he attended. He also mentioned that he was continuing investigations into the treatment that some of the overseas students have been receiving at Victoria House.

Gyles also read out the five applications for exemption from Students' Assn. fees. The meeting decided to grant one exemption and one partial exemption, two applicants were to be asked for more details, and one was turned down.

Apart from these highlights the meeting was mainly taken up with bureaucratic and administrative activities, such as the servicing of typewriters, the purchase of cash registers, the printing of constitutions and schedules and up-to-date news on how many bean bags had been sold.

A summary of the present position of the executive was provided by Accomodation Officer Scott Wilson when he objected to selling bean bags at enrolment because it meant that the students' Assn desk was left short-handed. While other executive members murmured their support for his comments, I wondered how many of them were concerned about the seemingly downhill slip of the association into the role of an investment society. When activities, such as the selling of bean bags, get in the way of working with students in their work environment, then they must stop.