Education Officer

Education Officer along with International, National and Welfare officers are elected by SRC in the second or third meeting of the year along with all of the other student reps except the executives.

The job is as difficult or as easy as you want to make it. There is no specific portfolio and so you are free to concentrate on the areas of particular importance at the time. Since education is what the university is all about, there is no end to the help you can get. Theoretically it should mainly come from the Education Committee, a student rep committee of about 20 which she/he chairs.

The main function of the education officer is to act as a co-ordinator in seeking help with students' problems especially where assessment methods and course workloads are concerned. But above all the person should attempt to persuade students into backing up their words with action.

The slightest hint of action being taken by a group, even within the walls of the one class room, causes the head of the department to nervously chew the end off his parker pen. Don't get me wrong here though: Action should not be directed against the staff. The staff have just as much to gain as anyone by fighting with the students to solve the problems created by the iniquitous education system and by the society in general.

Last year our fight for a decent living allowance for students was our biggest task, and so the bursaries question took up a substancial part of any time (too much of my time). This year, although the question of bursaries is not solved, I don't think the Education Officer should waste his or her time with it.

There are many other areas to work in. For example Maori and Polynesian education, Women in education. Adult education. Course regulations, exam regulations, enrolment regulations, teaching methods and so on but here again because of the sheer size of the assessment issue, all these other things must take a back seat, or better still, be given to other people to deal with.

The Education Officer should be familiar with all the different forms of assessment and should continually attempt to inform the students of them. Occasionally it is a good idea to organise forums on topics perhaps like "Why we are pissed off with this place" or "What are the least onerous forms of assessment?'

Experience has shown that mass action is the only effective means for real change. It is all too easy to get involved in the ugly individualism that contaminates the executive at the moment and bogged down with committee work and letter writing.

Mass involvement will only occur when people are conscious of the issues. The students must be informed!

National Affairs

Last year the somewhat nebulous position of National Affairs Officer resulted in a dearth of activity during the first two terms, and an unprecedented spurt of galvanic action in the last - a result basically of the imminent elections, and a guilty conscience.

Six election forums were held in the time available, all of which received media coverage, interspersed with three special interest forums, featuring speakers or such diverse appeal as Mathew Conner (well know 'socialist'), the Hon Peter Gordon, Ashley Ross (Carpenters' Union Secretary), and Margaret Gellen (of brothels on Soames Island fame). A forum was also held in cooperation with the Young Socialists on Women's Rights.

Later in the year, Lisa Sacksen and NZUSA's Alick Shaw were asked to host a Radio Windy Target Talk-back.

This year plans have been formulated for the running of a fortnightly forum on current affairs throughout the full academic year, one of the first of which, on March 31, will directly relate to the proposed visit of Nelson Rockerfeller. Displays have also been suggested as possible activities.