The $9 Deal

As you should all have realised by now, Government will shortly be considering a proposal from the Education Department to increase the level of the STB by $9 per week. It was therefore put to the National Exec that NZUSA do something to ensure these proposals become a reality. In the words of Research Officer Peter Franks "We must take action now unless the whole Bursaries campaign, built up over the years, collapses under us. Unless we do something now the Government will assume there is no support for the proposal"

Following Vic policy and the spirit of NZUSA's policy on Bursaries, Andrew Tees moved, and spoke strongly for, a proposal that there should be a demonstration on the Bursaries question on 11 April. Surprisingly, considering their concern for 'student-issues', the South Island campuses v re not keen on the idea. It is true that universities like Canterbury which are out of the city, have special difficulties when it comes to demonstrations, but the impression I got was that they were not particularly keen on doing anything which might involve any real effort.

Otago's problem, Mr Gourlie explained, was that there was no-one who could stand as a figure-head for any such demonstration. "I mean can you see me standing in front of a crowd of students advocating a rise in the Bursary?" he asked. One might ask why he was president of OUSA then.

Mr Stuart informed the meeting that he had turned over the question of fighting for the bursaries increase to the Progressive Club (loosly moddled on our PSA). When asked if he didn't perhaps feel that organising an activity such as this was more properly the function of the association, he replied that he thought not, "I mean they (the Progressive Club) are into that sort of thing".

It was eventually decided that mere would nevertheless be a national day of action on Bursaries on April 11, and there will be much more information on this coming out later.