SRC

New Exec Members Appointed

At the last Student Representative Council meeting, held on the Wednesday before Easter (April 15), two students were voted into the remaining vacant Executive positions. In two contested ballots, Helen McNaught was appointed Media Officer, and Chris Brodie as Welfare Officer. Helen spoke of her long standing experience in and around Salient, while Chris detailed at length the welfare issues needing attention in 1981.

SRC appointments to the Exec are interim only. If and when there is another vacancy on the Exec (three or more), a by-election will be held.

These two appointments mean that, for the first time in 1981, there is a full complement of ten people on Exec. The cumulative effect of the by-election three weeks ago, and these two appointments, also mean Exec duties will be spread more widely - hopefully reducing the stress on some overworked members.

Because of the closeness to Easter, AUSA were also left without time to arrange lower cost travel with Student Travel Bureau, and were forced to book full fare tickets with Air New Zealand for their Easter Tourney travellers. (The cost of Auckland to Dunedin one way, full fare is close to $150).

One of the more surprising aspects of the episode is that Student Travel Bureau warned AUSA before they had paid most of their money that the flights were not then booked with Mount Cook. Unfortunately for Auckland students, the warning went unheeded and the payment was made.

Not unnaturally, AUSA is now anxious to get as much money back as it can. Normally, a cancellation would mean the money already paid to the airline was paid back (minus costs) to the agent which booked the flights. However, Salient understands that AUSA has obtained a writ restraining Mount Cook from paying this money to Southern Charter Services.

Ultimately, AUSA is likely to see most of its money returned; although they will have to spend money in the retrieval process. However, the real cost occurred when AUSA had no option but to buy the more expensive full fare flights.

The whole experience also tends to justify the stand taken towards Southern Charter Services by our Association.

Stephen A'Court