Other formats

    Adobe Portable Document Format file (facsimile images)   TEI XML file   ePub eBook file  

Connect

    mail icontwitter iconBlogspot iconrss icon

Salient. Victoria University of Wellington Student's Newspaper. Volume 31, Number 9. May 21 1968

Council acts on power plea

Council acts on power plea

The Council has made some substantial changes to the original proposal; which was expressed in a resolution of the Students' Association Annual General Meeting.

In addition to the four representatives of the Student's Association and the four representatives of the University Council, there will be four members appointed by the Professorial Board.

The resolution taken at the Students' Association Annual Meeting was:

"That this Association, believeing that the question of the part to be played by students in the government of this University needs to be reconsidered, suggests that a Joint Committee be set up consisting of eight members, four to be nominated by the University Council and four student members to be the President, Men's and Women's Vice Presidents of the Association, and the Secretary of the Association. And That if the Council at its April meeting agrees to this suggestion, the Joint Committee on University Government shall:

1. meet within two weeks of that Council Meeting.

2. call for submissions on all matters relating to University Government from any interested person

3. consider in particular all matters raised in the Salient Editorial of March 19, 1968

4. report to the University Council and a Special General Meeting of this Association before the July 31, 1968.

And That if the University Council decided not to nominate members to the suggested Joint Committee, then the Executive shall call a Special General Meeting of this Association within two weeks of the April Council meeting to consider the matter further."

This was communicated to the Registrar, Mr L. O. Desborough, who, after the next Council meeting, replied to as follows to the President of the Students' Association:—

"Your letter of 19th instant conveying a resolution of your Association suggesting that a joint committee be set up to consider the part to be played by students in the government of the University, was placed before Council at its meeting yesterday afternoon (April 30).

"Council resolved that it agreed in principle to the establishment of a joint committee to report upon matters raised by your Association, the committee to consist of four persons nominated by the Council, four by the Professorial Board and four by the Students' Association. It was thought, however, that the dates suggested by your Association would, in all circumstances, not be entirely suitable and therefore gave the committee authority to extend the time limit for the final report.

"Terms of reference proposed by the Council are as follows:

" 'To enquire into and report on the existing arrangements for the communication of student opinion to the authorities of the University and, where it was found desirable, to make recommendations for the improvement of these channels of communication, and more particularly into the desirability and the possibility of increasing student representation on various university committees with the object of improving the means whereby student opinion is brought more closely to the attention of the authorities of the University.'

"The Council delegates to this committee will be the Vice-Chancellor. Mr K. B. O'Brien, Mr W. J. Scott and Mr J. McGrath.

"Council thought that the appointment of the Pro-Chancellor as chairman of the committee would facilitate the discussions and recommends accordingly to your Executive for its consideration.

The Executive of the Students' Association agreed at its meeting in early May to accept the suggestion of the Council that the Professorial Board be asked to nominate four members.

The terms of reference proposed by the Council were accepted and it was resolved "That this Executive has much pleasure in agreeing with the suggestion made by the University Council that the Pro-Chancellor (Mr R. S. V. Simpson) be asked to be Chairman of the Joint Committee."

Executive carried unanimously a resolution on the motion of Owen Gager "That the Association representatives on the committee view the Committee as a body whose findings should be unanimous embodying the opinions of students, staff and administration on student participation in University decision making."