Lecturers' Representation

May I, as Chairman of the Lecturers' Association, have space to correct the misrepresentations contained in the Salient article (22 April) headlined "lecturers' representation".

1. Lecturers, as members of staff, already share in the work of a wide range of University committees, including the Faculties, Professorial Board and Council. Every lecturer is a member of a Faculty, (and a Faculty is a sub-committee of the Board) and thereby has large opportunities of contributing to the running of the University. Last year (well before the SRC meeting of 12 March, 1970), the Lecturers' Association successfully initiated requests to Council to have the staff representatives on Council (apart from the Board representatives) increased in number from one to two, and the lecturers' representatives on the Board increased in number from three to six.

2. The Joint Committee already has four staff members, appointed by the Board. At the February meeting of the Board (again before the 12 March SRC meeting), lecturers' representatives sought successfully for two additional staff members to join the Committee for its discussions on the question of staff appointments, but at the same time declined for the present to seek extra appointments on a permanent basis, mainly on the grounds that it was not yet evident that the normal business of the Joint Committee required such additional staff members.

3. The Salient article asserts that the Lecturers' Association committee made the following statement to a student representative and to a member of the Ad Hoc Committee (surely not Mr Logan and Mr Wright in combination?): "No further representation by lecturers on university committees is called for; the lecturers' have complete confidence in the ability of their professors to represent them representation by lecturers on university committees is unnecessary."

No Such Statement was Made by the Association committee—nor any like it. It is a pity the writer of the article did not seek more reliable sources for his supposed information.

4. At the special meeting of the Lecturers' Association called by the Ad Hoc Committee (who, when the meeting was convened, appeared to consist of only one person) the lecturers present defeated, overwhelmingly, the first of Mr Wright's motions quoted in the article and his second motion of no confidence in the committee failed to gain even a firm seconder and therefore lapsed.

Finally I wish to affirm that the committee of the Lecturers' Association is wholly concerned to promote opportunities for the effective contribution of lecturers, as staff members, to all aspects of the affairs of the University. It believes that its present policies are a proper consequence of this concern.

Wilfred Malcolm