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Salient. Newspaper of the Victoria University Students' Association. Vol 42 No. 19. August 6 1979

Top of the Week — Tell the Truth

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page 4

Top of the Week

Tell the Truth

REDS KEEP HOLD ON STUDENT PAPER By TONY DOMINIK COMMUNISTS will continue to control Victoria University's student newspaper Salient. Attempts by some students to wrest domination of the paper from what they described as a "bankrupt splinter left movement' failed last week A special general meeting of the Victoria University of Wellington Students Association voted not to elect the Salient editor by ballot in preference to the current system of appointment. And the meeting, attended by around 500 students, also voted not to introduce referenda that would hind the students association to follow a certain policy for 12 months. The meeting was organised by a group that calls itself the Victoria Reform Committee, a member of which is students' association president Andrew Tees. Spokesman Phillip Saxby told Truth the committee wanted to make the actions of Salient and the student executive more representative of the entire student body. Mr Saxby said his group felt the problem of a representative view being expressed could have been helped by a change in the method of selecting the editor. At present the editor was 'appointed by the "publications board" consisting of six members elected at a Student Representative Council meeting, some executive members and later the editor himself Mr Saxby said SRC meetings, which were open to all members of the students association were dominated by the same clique that ran the paper. Most students left the SRC alone because they couldn't afford two hours every two weeks to attend meetings, he said. iming problem Mr McDo situation was that simple. Removing ents from f these are methanol — a or four years into car desi NZ. TRUTH, Tuesday, July 31, 197

If you are an avid follower of Truth (even if it is just for the racing pages), you will have noticed an article entitled Reds Keep Hold On Student Paper. As an "ordinary student", you may have been somewhat surprised to notice that the person commenting on the SGM was Mr Phillip Saxby, neither a student nor a VUWSA member. If you listen to Radio Windy you would also have heard Mr Saxby talking about the "reforms."

The obvious question, is why should a person who is not even a student be concerned with Student Association affairs to the extent of issuing numerous press statements? Who supports him, if indeed he has much support on campus? Who pays for his leaflets and advertisements?

The Victoria Reform Committee is the facade behind which he masquerades. Unfortunately for Saxby, one of the major moves of the Reform Committee, an SGM, which was to change the appointment of the Salient editor and introduce a referenda system to VUWSA's policy making, was overwhelmingly defeated. However, Saxby not content with the decision made by a large number of Victoria students, has pledged to continue the struggle to reform VUWSA. In press statements reminiscent of the McCarthy era, Saxby accuses the Association of being run by communists who do not by implication work in the interests of the student body.

But in whose interests does Saxby work? At a time when students in particular and education in general is experiencing a massive onslaught of attacks by the government, does it help our fight back campaign to have statements, such as these printed in Truth or broadcast across Radio Windy?

Lindy Cassidy.

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