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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 13, No. 8. April 27th, 1950
Gathering Storm
Gathering Storm
Special General Meeting called
The boat had been rocked bard. But on Sunday night, amid the flurries of a southerly, it looked as though the [unclear: lull] had broken, and the storm was veering around to another direction.
There were enough people at an Extrav. rehearsal to requisition a Special General Meeting to censure the Executive for its "ill-advised action."' The Executive headed by its new President, was heading for stormy waters.
"That this Association severely censures the Executive for its ill-advised action in requesting the attendance of the Dean of Canterbury without first consulting the wishes of the student body."
It will now be necessary for the Executive to meet and fix a date for the Special Meeting. This is not going to be easy, because Extrav. rehearsals, Process, preparations, Undergrads Supper and the Ball are all looming on the horizon.
Its task in facing a Special Meeting will be made no easier by the amount of sensational publicity which has been given to the question outside the College. So many side issues have already been roped in that it is going to be difficult to have the question debated on its own merits.
As we go to press, no date has been fixed, but it will probably be either late this week or early next week—to get it over before the holidays. The main worry of the Executive will be to defeat the almost inevitable conclusion that they are "Communists." For a liberal group, it is a difficult situation. If the usual red herrings are dragged in, then it will be hard to demonstrate that it is possible to hear views without committing oneself to agree with them. Students at a university should be capable of seeing that point of view if the issue is not clouded for them.
Another question which the Executive has to settle is whether the motion is tantamount to one of no confidence: the movers of the motion may not have framed it as one, but the Executive could well regard a motion of "severe censure" as casting such doubt on their ability to act, that they could refuse to carry on.
In such a situation, the Association would then be faced with another period of uncertainty—for [unclear: better] or worse.
New President Alison Peace is faced with a stormy future; one which, as she and her Executive might well argue, seems to be largely complicated by sensationalism and misunderstanding.
Third past the post
No woman has ever been elected to the position of President of the Association so far as we know.
Previously, two women have filled the position, both taking over from elected men presidents when they left during the war. These were Durie Maysmoor and Pixie Higgins.
There is, of course, no reason why a woman shouldn't be elected to the job if she is better suited than any other candidate: we haven't been able to find out offhand whether any women have stood yet and been defeated. It seems rather a pity that, with the number of women there are at VUC, no women has been elected: maybe this will be precedent enough to bring this about.
The Pedigree
Alison Pearce, new President; of the Victoria College Students' Association, has been in and around VUC since 1944. Finishing her BA in 1946, she went over to L.I.B. of which she is at present doing the last two subjects: she has been admitted to the bar.
She is on the Committees of ISS, the Debating Club (she is vice-president, and has been since 1949), the Tramping Club and the Women's Common Room Committee. She is a member of the Glee Club and the Swimming Club, and has been behind Extrav. since 1945.
First an Executive member in the Caretaker Executive after the revolution in 1948, she was re-elected in the 1948 elections, and was elected Women's vice-president in 1949.
Her age is something she prefers not to mention, but we gather that, though she seems to be ashamed of it, she isn't as aged as the length of her experience at VUC might indicate.