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 Students' Newspaper. Vol. 32, No. 23. September 24, 1969

S.G.M. tomorrow night: — Attempts To Reconstitute Exec, S.R.C

S.G.M. tomorrow night:
Attempts To Reconstitute Exec, S.R.C.

Attempts to reconstitute both the Executive and the Sudent Representation Council will be made at a special general meeting of the Students' Association in the Common Common Room of the Sub at 7 p.m. tomorrow night.

A motion moved by the president of the association, Gerard Curry and seconded by the president-elect, Margaret Bryson, will seek to establish the SRC on the same basis as was originally proposed to the June SGM.

This would mean membership would be on an elected basis and voting rights would not be available to any student who came along.

The second motion which will also be moved by Executive will attempt to reduce the size of that body from 15 to seven.

Discussing his reasons for the motion on the SRC Gerard said the danger with open membership was that "you don't have representative decisions being taken."

"I don't think you get truly representative decisions being made unless the whole student body came along, which is quite impossible," he said.

The second motion which will also be moved by Executive will attempt to reduce the size of that body from 15 to seven.

"But structured membership is an attempt to enhance the chances of representative decisions being made.

Gerard said he felt students operated in independent units in their clubs and faculties, and lacked a common identity within the student body.

"Instead of looking toward a central point, students lend to centre around splinter groups," he said.

Gerard said he was aware that some people had been deterred from attending meetings of the SRC because they felt it was run by a "small vocal minority.

"Perhaps it's up to them to do battle?" he said.

"But you must have conditions which induce involvement."

Asked if he thought the SRC had actually failed, Gerard said that with only three meetings "it hadn't been given much of a chance to function.

"But the odds against it functioning are probably too stacked and we must have a good and workable system by 1970."

"It has been unsatisfactory in that it was bogged down in procedural matters on two occasions.

"On the third occasion it seemed to sense it hadn't functioned well previously and so it went to the opposite extreme by pushing motions through quickly."

Gerard said that with so many points which could have been made on the issue of the marihuana motion one could have expected some debate.

"That there was no debate is an indictment of every one present.

"But the atmosphere hardly encouraged the sense of inquiry that should be present."

The motion regarding the size of Exec appears to stand a good chance of being passed should the SRC be reconstituted on the grounds proposed by Gerard Curry and Margaret Bryson.

"I would be more inclined to support this if the SRC is changed." Gerard said.

"From an administrative point of view it would mean increased efficiency.

"The policy making process of the sub-committees would be better if the chairman was responsible to the SRC."

Executive would consist of the president, vice-presidents, treasurer, secretary, publications, cultural and sports officers.

These are all included in appendices to the constitution and are responsible for large amounts of finance.

The other portfolios of the present Exec, national, international, accommodation, education, public relations, house and social controllers would all become sub-committees of the SRC with their chairmen elected by and responsible to the SRC.

Gerard said he thought it would be difficult in some cases to decide whether something was policy or administrative.

"The value of the size of the present executive is that there are more points of view available during discussions," he said.

He said that he would not vote for a reduction in the size of Exec if the SRC remained as presently constituted.

"I'm not convinced it could be approaching a very representative state", he said.

"But it would be responsible to an electorate if the amended SRC is passed.

"The trouble with an amorphous, undefined membership as at present is that there is little incentive to carry a workload, so I would favour the retention of the present Exec system in order to carry this workload."

All the issues are important, Gerard said.

"For the long term development of the University and to ensure the quality of decisions taken is high. I would urge everyone to come along," he said.

Pitt Ramsay, special guest artist at the Folk Club's final concert for the year last Friday.

Pitt Ramsay, special guest artist at the Folk Club's final concert for the year last Friday.