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Salient. Victoria University Students' Newspaper. Volume Number 39, Issue 6. April 5 [1976]

Allegations of Rape

page 5

Allegations of Rape

For those smut-mongers among you whose only reason for reading this was the headline, I must disappoint you by telling you there weren't any rapes.

Allegations of a different nature were levied however. After the usual rigmarole of apologies and minutes, President, Gyles Beckford informed the meeting that due to various circumstances the $30.50c students' association fee did not cover the projected dispursements for the year.

We must be wary of the capitalist roaders amongst us. Jesus! How these Leninists bore me.

Despite instructions from an SGM on October 8th last year insufficient funds were budgeted for the $2.00 levy to the Sports Council and Gyles proposed this but cut and the dispersement of Association fees be the same as last year.

According to Gyles if this was not done the Association would suffer a loss of $3000. This figure was raised to $5000 by Association Secretary Peter Aagaard, and culminated in a $8000 estimate from Publications officer John Henderson. As the proposed fees this year were $3600, simple arithmatic puts the figure around $3000.

Constitutional Wrangle Starts

What followed must be one of the greatest exhibitions of constitutional fuckery I have ever teen. Kevin Wright and Peter Thrush ('75 and '76 Sports Officers respectively) violently objected because it meant all the special sports allocation would go into the general purpose account for distribution at the executive's discretion.

They said that past events had shown their discretion to be somewhat lacking. What's more they claimed such action was unconstitutional, as last years SGM put effect into the constitution the $2.00 levy.

It was at this stage that some of the dirty dealings came to light. Constitutional puppeteer Peter Aagaard began some long-winded jibberish which amounted to little.

As angry sportsman, goaded on by the glint of gold vanishing before their eyes mounted opposition, Aagaard and Beckford started making noises like 'solicitor' and 'legal opinion'.

Unravelling the Problem

What seems to have happened was that a jack-up meeting was held on October 16th which rescinded the previous budget. But in their haste the engineers neglected to give the statutory 10 days notice of the meeting, so it was of no effect.

When Kevin Wright told the meeting this, Peter Aagaard disreguarded it as a mere 'technical point'. I would suggest that the payment of Peg Leg Pete's honorarium could also be passed off as a mere technical point and also unnecessary.

Kevin Wright went on to say there was obviously a balls-up with the University Council (who collect and administer studass fees).

Fingers in All the Pies

And who else do we find with his finger in the pie - none other than the notorious Steve Underhand, last bastion of commercial-conscience.

For when in November Kevin Wright realised that the SGM policy had not been conveyed to the University Council he had a solicitor check the validity of the October 16th meeting and in his opinion it was void, and so any policy arising from it could not be implemented.

The exec's hand was forced and the Association solicitor, according to Kevin, confirmed the fact that the second meeting was void. Keven wrote to the Univ. Council, on behalf of the Association, giving the outcome and legal opinion of the two meetings.

However Kevin's was not the only letter the Council received. For some unexplicable reason Steven Underwood, who was not even an officer of the Executive, also sent a letter stating that the validity of the October 16 Meeting was not clarified. Infairness to Steve however, his letter also recommended raising the fees to $31.00, but the conflicting letters were obviously toto complicated for the simple minds of the Univ. Council.

In a point of personel explanation Steve then said it was too late anyway as the Handbooks and enrollment stationery had already been printed. According to Warwyck Dewe this could have been overcome by overprinting and this was confirmed by a registry staff member.

We're Still in the Crap

All of this still didn't make up the deficit. In theory we had it - in actual fact we didn't. Some sense was at last brought into the meeting surprisingly enough by Tony 'I'll be brief Ward. Anthony's suggestion was that there has been enough 'constitutional wankery' (which prompted a look of bitter disappointment from David Tripe who was yet to get in on the action) and that some arrangement over dispursement could be made at an SGM.

The audience was raised to a frenzy which diminished somewhat when the inevitable Lloyd Jobson took the mike, said he didn't remember seeing notification of the meeting last year, and sat down.

After Gyles repeated the word 'solicitor' a couple more times, and Peter Thrush agreed to discuss the matter elsewhere the whole affair was put off till the SGM.

Next was the annual ritual of totally unnecessary reports, at which several were noted by their absense. Lisa Sacksen spoke briefly on C.U.N.T.S. and was immediately followed by Gyles Beckford (No implication). Gyles' report was punctuated by brief outbursts from Diane Hooper whose main concern seemed to be the 'injustice of the capitalist society' (see her report; and 'Truth' Tripe the 'students' watchdog').

Bored by the Annual Reports

The remaining reports were sufficiently boring bar Kevin Wright's who managed to slip in the Sports Council fuck-up again.

At last we were confronted with 16 pages of accounts. Mike Curtis was put in the hot spot over the fact that the association has advanced $37,600 to the bookshop unsecured. Mike reminded us, however, of our moral responsibility if the book shop folded, which would amount to us losing the $37,600.

It was noted that one of those responsible for some of the accounts was now in South America, and indeed Warwyck Dewe had felt some embarassment in explaining some accounts.

There was for instance the $500 for the Blue dinner (is people) and the excessive grants to cricket ("balls' said Warwyck) and swimming. All was eventually sorted out in a fluster of papers figures and uncomfortable smiles by Warwyck.

Doubts as to whether a quorum was till present were put aside as it was noticed we had not yet accepted the ('ho hum') reports. Gyles moved that they be accepted, but after a return appearance from the dreaded Ward (who mumbled something about a 'very sad state of affairs'), the masses decided to reject the pearls of wisdom. Which left a perplexed 'what is wrong with my report?' Aagaard and a thoroughly confused 'what does this mean?' Sacksen. And a meeting which vaguely thought it might have won something.

So we got back to debating whether quorum is around, missing the point that this is the first time ever all the executive reports have been refused. Oh well. After confirming the forum's motion on bursaries (which John Henderson obviously thought should have been credited to him rather than 'Chair'), Gyles declared the meeting closed. Not before time at 3.30pm

The masses appreciating another example of sparkling Aagaard wit.

The masses appreciating another example of sparkling Aagaard wit.