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Salient. Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 42 No. 4. March 19 1979

President

President

At the last Executive meeting it was decided to set up a sub-committee to investigate the whole matter of catering in the Union. Naturally, there have been a lot of complaints from students in the past about the food in the cafe and the restaurant. The restaurant has improved a great deal so why don't you go there? If you don't start going it may have to close. The Executive will be happy to receive any submissions from anybody on the catering operation.

At the last SRC, happily we got two new Executive members, but more importantly students got down to discussion what we are going to do about the situation surrounding the Standard Tertiary Bursary.

You will be aware that there have recently been reports in the media outlining an Education Department proposal for a $9 a week increase in the bursary level. The meeting decided on a national day of action preferably involving demonstrations, that is, a bursaries march. Sometime around 11 April, but the final dates will probably be decided by the NZUSA National Education Action Committee fairly soon.

The big question is, will all those people at SRC who in their wisdom voted for this action actually put their shovels where their mouths are and turn up on a bursaries march? I hope like hell they, or rather you do. As we have to show the Government that student concern is such that there is a real demonstrable indication that we, ie you, actually care about education cuts or the level of the bursary allowances for that matter. As a "build-up" measure it has been [unclear: suggest] that we get together a decent number or students to individually visit Members of Parliament to tell them about the issues surrounding the financial situation of students, ie Bursaries and student unemployment. NZUSA has agreed to help us in this. So, if you want to help why don't you leave your name and address at the VUWSA Office and then you can go and see an MP or two and tell then about the situation.

We need at least fifty people as there are ninety three MPs. Full information will be provided on these issues for your use This is your chance to get involved so give it a go.

VUWSA is not just me or the [unclear: Executiv] it is you so show up - it's your credibility that is at stake not mine.

The other thing that happened at SRC was a motion about a German Industrialists' visit to New Zealand, which got pass at the very end of the meeting when only the keen die hard politicos were left, largely in the form of the Progressive Students' Alliance, ex officio Students [unclear: Agains] Imperialism and Salient etc. It is these sort of people who are denigrating VUWS and depriving SRC of any credibility at [unclear: al] When I stood for President last year I said I would speak out against this sort of bull shit at SRCs etc, and I will continue to [unclear: de] so. Some people are trying to shove their ideas down your throats at what is laughingly called a democratic meeting - what are you going to do about it?

Are motions about West German industrialists appropriate at meetings like SRC where such a limited cross-section of student opinion is represented? That is the question - your $43 and what you are getting for it.

Andrew Tees