Sports Officer

I'm a third year student working for a B.A. in psychology. Among my qualifications for the job is the fact that I have worked in the University gym for two years and have gained a considerable appreciation of the needs of many of the clubs both through the clubs themselves and the very helpful physical welfare staff. I am active as an individual in sports such as basketball skiing and badminton.

Many Vic clubs are floundering because of lack of stable organisation and one of my efforts would be to promote stability in this respect. The timetable in the gym has only to be looked at to see the pressure lack of space is placing on both club and individual activities, and anything I can do to relieve this pressure will be done.

I would like to see sport at Vic oriented to both club and individual activity to foster both the competitive spirit and recreational relaxation.

I also believe that as the money for club grants comes from your Stud Ass. fee it should not be the non-student members of Vic's clubs that benefit.

At present I am the treasurer/secretary of the Phantom Club and a member of the Legal Referral service, that is, the Citizen's Advice Bureau.

The central issue concerning sports facing Victoria students, is NZ's continuing sporting contacts with racist South Africa. As Sports Officer, I would campaign vigorously for an end to university and national sporting contacts with that country.

Don Carson, the present incumbent, is a leading advocate of disruptive protests on this campus. He was one of those who attempted to lead a sit down in Willis St. on the July 14 mobilisation, and supports similar disruptive protests against the 1973 rugby tour.

As a candidate on the Young Socialist ticket, I am strongly opposed to the anti-apartheid movement adopting tactics of disruption. I believe that the majority of New Zealanders can and will be won to opposition to racist sports tours, just as the majority has already been won on campus. The way students can most effectively win this majority and stop the tours, is through using our facilities to educate and organise others against the tour eg through ananti-apartheid version of Indochina Report, and through organising massive non-disruptive demonstrations as have been so successful in the antiwar movement.

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As current Sports Officer my intention is to provide continuity in the Exec, from 1972 into the crucial and testing year of 1973.

I intend to continue to emphasise recreational sport on this campus. The casual participant is losing out to the organised lobbies of the sports clubs. In line with SRC policy, another priority is to ensure that non-students pay their fair share when they join university clubs.

It is only fair to penalise exclusivism in sports clubs, intentional or otherwise, if advertising is insufficient.

I play both rugby and cricket, but I have no vested interest in any particular club, and I have had substantial experience in club administration.

Politics are an integral part of the Sport Officer's portfolio. The Sports Committee deals with the more apolitical and administrative aspects of clubs. The Sports Officer must deal with affairs in their wider Association perspective.

The Association should in turn promote action to attempt to deal with the many social problems that afflict our community from the issues of Viet Nam and CMT to creche centres and racism.

Finally the Sports Page should return to Salient next year and stay there. Sports events are news.

I am a second year commerce student standing for the position of Sports officer for reasons pertaining solely to the furthering of sporting interests within the University. I believe that the combination of my involvement with sport within the University (Rugby league, Tramping Club, Motorcycle Club) and the degree which I am pursuing will be a major advantage in carrying out the duties of a sports officer. As parties, tickets, and cliques have no place in my view of student affairs my candidacy is independent and involves my being prepared to work with any individual or club. My more immediate concerns for sport within the University are as follows:

I object to Student Association funds financing the membership of non-students to University Sports clubs. Although I believe they should have every opportunity to join they should be levied accordingly. I would make further investigations into the financial position of the Ski-clubs lodge on Mt Ruapehu and ensure that all possible avenues for making it profitable are researched before any consideration is given to its sale. I support and would ensure the regular (1 page per issue) appearance of sports in Salient I do not support teams selected with racial bias and touring under the title of a Nationally representative side.

My major asset is a variety of sporting interests—Having played soccer, rugby, tennis, table-tennis, fencing and still playing cricket for Varsity. This will undoubtedly assist me in association with these clubs tending to give me a sympathetic and unbiased view of their needs and problems.

Sports should in no way be affected by political biases and to this end I support the 1973 South African Rugby Tour of New Zealand as much as I support the Chinese Table-Tennis teams tour this year.

I also intend to press for the return of the Sports Column in Salient. The student body has a right to know of the progress of our teams and the loss of this column was a great disappointment to all those concerned with sporting activities.

For my piece de resistance I believe I have the knowledge to work in harmony with the Executive. Being a second year Accountancy major I have a basic financial understanding and will be able to use this knowledge to its greatest effect in the administration of funds for the sporting bodies.