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Salient. Victoria University Student Newspaper. Volume 37, Number 25. 25th September 1974

A Stake in Hunter

A Stake in Hunter

Once again the men who run the administration of this university have ignored the wishes and ideas of students in their latest decision concerning the proposed demolition of the Hunter Building. At the last University Council meeting on Monday, Council narrowly voted to go ahead with the building of prefabs on the Hunter lawn to allow the evacuation of Hunter to begin.

The prefabs are needed to house the Economics Department, at present operating from the sixth floor of Rankine Brown. This floor will be needed for the Law Library, as it appears to be the only possible site.

The Committee on Site and Building prepared a report some time ago listing several possible sites for the prefabs. These included the Salamanca Road tennis courts, the Boyd-Wilson field, the Wai-te-ata road car park and the Hunter lawn. The committee felt that all things considered the Hunter lawn was the best. If a building permit is granted the erection of these prefabs will begin on October 7.

When the report came up before the university council on Monday it met with considerable opposition from student and staff representatives. A staff representative moved "that no buildings be erected on Hunter lawn." He was supported by the students and some staff but the motion was defeat 7 votes to 10. Since this move, student reaction has been strong and a motion was passed at SRC on Tuesday, by a large majority, VUWSA declares its total opposition to building the prefabs on the front lawn and supports all reasonable moves including non-violent disruption to halt their construction.

The reasons against the Hunter lawn site are aesthetic. The students feel that this is the only decent area of lawn left to enjoy. Rows of prefabs will successfully ruin the appearance of the Hunter building even if its facade is preserved.

This is particularly importance since the prefabs are certain to be in position for several years. Although the council insists that they are only temporary accommodation, student reps feel sure that they will remain in use almost indefinitely. Di you ever see a prefab pulled down at your school?

The possibility of using the carpark at Wai-te-ata road or the Boyd Wilson field have certainly not been closely investigated. A new proposal came up at the SRC to look at the idea of siting these prefabs on the Skyline Restaurant site at the top of the cable car. It may be possible to lease the restaurant, which has been making a loss for several years. Time is another vital factor in the decision. These prefabs have to be built very soon so the Law Library can open at the start of next year. So the council has rushed through a decision on the site of the prefabs without making any attempt to guage student opinion Lisa Sacksen student rep on the council spoke strongly against the decision, saying that the administration could expect violence once construction began.

Yet the first time most students learnt of the decision was at SRC on Tuesday, the day after the decision was made. Anyway there are only two students on a committee of 17, and only one on the site and building committee. It is impossible at present for students to take a proper part in decisions which directly concern them and their education. The only answer is to take direct action against the undemocratic processes of council, who have tried to despoil the Hunter lawn out of bureaucratic expediency.