As a result of measures taken at the VUW Council meeting on 27 June the last open entry avenue for prospective law students was closed. Up and down the country law schools have been limiting enrolments on the basis of harder academic criteria and now Victoria has jumped on the bandwagon of limited enrolments.

At the Council meeting two measures for limiting law students proposed by the Law Faculty were accepted. Firstly, Legal System and Law in Society are jointly prerequisites for entry into 'second-year' law courses. Secondly, a further limit of say, 170 students for 4 major 'second-year' courses was accepted in principle as a permanent arrangement. And to tidy any loose ends a total restriction on Law and Society enrolments of 350 was reconfirmed for eternity which means that eventually through manipulation of Law in Society and Legal System pass rates Law Faculty numbers will be fairly rigorously controlled at all levels.

Law Faculty gives reasons

The Faculty concentrated on the increased staff pressures and worsening teaching environment that increased enrolments caused as their main reasons for the cuts. Also high up in their high-brows was a concern for the Faculty's academic standards vis-a-vis other law schools in the country.

Increased use of Socratic teaching methods meant that class sizes had to stay at 'reasonable' levels. Generally staff/student ratios were seen as too high and unlikely to change through increased staff due to general educational cutbacks with the current government.

The concern for academic standards stemmed from the rising academic criteria for other law schools. Students ('poorer students' in the Faculty's view) who failed their criteria could come to Vic to study thus 'lowering' academic standards. Also, even if Vic's standards failed to change they would still start dropping behind other law schools relatively and the Vic degree would become as often devalued as the Israeli pound.

Muldoon government gives reasons

The atmosphere at Council was relatively sympathetic for the idea of cuts in law student numbers because of the current penny-pinching trends of the Muldoon government. The cuts slid through easily in the wake of cut in Library services, conditions of staff, overseas students and of course the 15% effective cut in the STB.

The whole thing was made even easier by the glut of qualified lawyers at the moment (not that they notice it out at Petone or Otara). Law students should remember moves for wage cuts for law clerks were only just defeated a year or two ago and such a move could be repeated.

The natural harshness of the capitalist labour market, the tight-fist of the Muldoon government and the hierarchy of Victoria University are all appearing to act in unison — and its not law students who are reaping the benefit.

Cuts overdone and unacceptable

The cuts will be a real burden on students if they all go ahead. They are unsystematic and unweildy. First and second year students will continually be coming up against these restrictions which will block and lengthen their studies.

There has been no proper investigation of pedagogic (teaching) problems in the Law Faculty and how they relate to staff/student ratios. Decisions on terms and the socratic teaching method were taken with minimal consultation of students and still remain to be assessed adequately.

There has been no nationwide consideration of closing off open entry to prospective law students. Surely such a nationwide streaming operation will lead to 'higher' academic standards and this should be assessed for the following: a higher bursary for law students; an upgrading of the BA and B.Sc etc.

The substance of the Law Faculty's arguments need to be examined far more closely. At the moment they seem more worried about limiting numbers than anything else and are determined to ram it through without properly consulting students. Certainly they haven't started a campaign to increase staff numbers instead of reducing student numbers.

It seems law students will have to pressure 'their' department for the rights of future law students to enter Vic's Law Faculty without a fine mesh net of exclusion clauses.

Forum planned

The first step in a campaign against these cuts (to take effect in 1978) has been taken. There will be a forum to discuss the restrictions with Prof. Keith, Dean of the Faculty, and a speaker from the Students Association.

The forum will be on Tuesday, July 12, 12 - 2 pm, in the Union Hall. So if you think its a hard life being a law student, come along and help stop it getting any worse.

— Gerard Couper and Bruce Robinson