The Difficulties of Students

In the university the trend to the right has expressed itself by the growing popularity of the "representatives of the right" at SRC and an increasingly narrow vote over left wing issues. It is also expressed by the increasing attacks by the right on the validity of SRC's and a move away from the SRC as the policy making body to a desire to establish the Executive as the sole political force on campus.

This year's students will see continuing attacks on their living standards, on university facilities and on teaching conditions. To examine these attacks in detail one has only to look at the level of student allowances. In real terms i.e. in terms of the value of the dollar in 1975, the value of the bursary in 1978 was $16.40. This of course does not take into account the fact that out of the 6000 students at Victoria only 3000 received any bursary at all last year, and of these only half received the unabated rate.

As well as the problem of inadequate income during the academic year, students also face serious unemployment problems during the long vacation. Over 15% of students were either employed under the Student Community Service Programme or registered as unemployed these holidays. Consequently, 1979 will be a difficult year for a great many students, especially those living away from home. University education will become even more the domain of the children of the rich.

With the introduction of internal assessment, and heavier workloads, students have even less time to participate in extracurricular activities or even to fully understand their academic courses. It is essential that students have a choice of their assessment techniques and a voice in deciding their workloads.

In 1977 and 1978, library hours were severly reduced and cuts made to the periodicals and book allowance. The Library, as every student knows, is the centre of academic life. When hours are reduced, particularly before examination times, and vital books and periodicals are unavailable, then students are directly affected.

This year the University administration will try to pass the burden of payment for Welfare and Union Services over to the students. They will try to make the students pay for all the running costs of the Union, Gymnasium and possibly such services as the Student Health and Counselling services. This will mean the Students' Association fee over half of which goes to cover the costs of running the present facilities or for building new ones, will have to be substantially raised.