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Salient. Newspaper of Victoria University of Wellington Students Association. Vol 41 No. 5. March 27 1978

One Down — Education Vice President Resigns

One Down

Education Vice President Resigns

Stephanie Dale, NZUSA's newly elected Education Vice President has resigned. In the midst of a continuing controversy (the story's on its way) over the role of NZUSA, the only South Island representative in National Office packed her bags last week and left Wellington. Down at her home campus Otago she informed the OUSA president Andrew Guest of her decision and a few days later sent a telegram back up to Wellington. Other national officers tried to get her to change her mind, but she remained adamant.

Dale's motives for this remain unclear. There is an old saying that if you can't stand the heat you should get out of the kitchen, but students have a right to expect that their representatives will do the job they were elected to. We don't elect people to resign.

Dale apparently claims that not enough importance is attached to her portfolio and hence she found it difficult to get the necessary cooperation. This is a bit hard to understand. Research officer Peter Franks has been working in the education field for many years now and provides all the backup an EVP can want.

Bursaries are one of the two top priorities of NZUSA. A ten point plan has been produced and has already met with a measure of success, and a national day of action is planned for April 19th. With Dale gone NZUSA will face serious short term problems in measuring up to its commitments.

She is also said to claim that she doesn't get on with the other National Officers. The blame may not be hers, but we should expect that personal conflicts will not hinder the professional relationships which must exist. All national officers must recognise this.

A final question remains: why did Dale hand in her resignation to Guest before she sent it to the appropriate body? Guest may be her home-town president but national officers are supposed to place themselves above local allegiances. Rumours of South Island plots have been flying around for some time now. Dale has not exactly laid any of them to rest.

Simon Wilson