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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume. 33, Number 7. 27 May, 1970

Desegregation & the boycott

Desegregation & the boycott

Sir,

Doubtless our Students' Association works hard for the welfare of the students at large, the Executive no doubt has a somewhat thankless job. To my mind it is made no easier by the propensity of its members to dabble in irrelevant and trivial affairs. I had thought that when the issues of reduction of fees for part-time students and the contribution of the year's work to finals marks was brought up for consideration that at last we had an Executive concerned with student matters. My hopes have been dashed firstly by the ill-advised decision to integrate the toilets (surely there are more pressing needs on the agenda) and secondly the decision to boycott lecturers on the last day of the first term.

I say the toilet issue was ill-advised as it appears to rest on a number of untenable assumptions. Firstly that this decision was acceptable to all and that the minority would coalesce. The Executive apparently overlooked the fact that the sharing of toilets with strangers of the opposite sex is personally offensive to some. The argument that that merely follows what is done at home is really irrelevant. Ones conduct at home is not the same as that at University nor is it governed by the same set of norms, mores or whatever. Nor does the decision take cognisance of the few who may abuse the privilege of using the toilet of their choice. There is a minority who deviate from the Executive's high principles of moral conduct.

The other issue of the boycott of lectures appeared to hurt only one group of the population-the students who did not attend lectures. The issue involved had my sympathy but it was hardly a matter to disrupt the internal running of this University. If students wish to protest against the unfortunate occurrences overseas then let them by all means but I would suggest that the role of the Students' Association in any university is to look to the welfare and rights of its members. When the Association restricts itself to these aims then I feel it will be doing the job it was formed to do and will achieve its aims more readily. The political clubs and weekly forum provide a platform for the dissidents. Let's keep the Students' Association oriented to affairs directly affecting the students at this university. When they do this in a responsible manner then they will have my support. Until then I claim the right to have my name dissociated from the afore-mentioned decisions of the Association.

M.L. Cooper

(Editor's note: The decision to desegregate the toilets was made by the SRC—not the Executive.)