Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria, Wellington. Vol. 22, No. 9. Thursday, August 13, 1959
Exec Notes — Full Time-Part Time
Exec Notes
Full Time-Part Time
At the Exec meeting on August 10, a fine report from the Education Subcommittee was tabled by Jane Fogg.
Following along the lines worked out at N.Z.U.S.A. Easter Council, the subcommittee has put forward a series of recommendations which would make the conditions of students in New Zealand a much happier one if they were implemented.
With one important exception Exec adopted the recommendations without a quibble. The fun started when Don Brooker very properly pointed out that a 10% increase in Higher School Certificate Bursaries would have no meaning for part-timers, who get only tuition fees under the present set-up.
He then moved that H.S.C. Bursaries should apply uniformly to all students—that is that Victoria would recommend to N.Z.U.S.A. that all students, full-time or part-time should be eligible for full fees, the allowance of £40 per year, and the boarding allowance where applicable.
There followed a merry debate during which Mr Brooker inadvertently accused full-timers of earning £560 during the long vacation, and Mr Davy arraigned law clerks for living like dukes on £280 per year. Mr Brooker modified his figure to £400, but from personal experience this writer can state that anyone who works a 72-hour week for 13 weeks and has £300 when he has done it is either dead lucky or dead. Similarly, anyone who earns £280 per year, and pays £221 for his board will have to eat a hell of a lot of supper at the Law Ball if he is to see another.
Dew Deacon pointed that it takes just as long to get an H.S.C. before you become a part-time 'varsity student as it does before you become a full-time one. Somebody else tried to suggest that Victoria would be less of a night school if we starve out the part-timers.
Anyway Mr Brooker's motion was lost by seven votes (Arts and Commerce Faculties) to five (Law Faculty). In view of the overall position of Arts students at Victoria it was a shameful, petty and rather ill-informed decision.
—J.O.G.