Teacoll SGM

by Special Correspondent W.P.

Approximately 300 students attended the Special General Meeting of the Wellington Training College Students' Association (at least the beginning of the meeting).

There were rapidly bored by onerous financial details of last year, proposals for this year and at the end of this initial section of the meeting about 30 people left.

Alex Purves (the National President of S.T.A.N.Z.) spoke for a while on the issue of non-payment of the Cost-of-Living increase to first year students. He explained to the students that this was in direct conflict with the previous policy of the Education Department under which students had always automatically been paid.

Any deviations from this rule had always been discussed with representative organisations (ie NZEI and STANZ) and the National Party Policy said that the present system would continue.

First on his feet during the ensuing debate was local Trotskyist Woodward who seemed in the same speech to criticise Purves for not acting himself and for also not consulting students.

Debate staggered along for a while until the meeting generally agreed that the student body had to wait until that 'craggy pillar of wisdom' Candar had turned down a polite request to come through with the Cost-of-Living Order.

Then having an extremely strong case the students would meet again and probably act like any other union would.

After brief reports from Geoff Jones (STANZ Liason Officer) and Trevor Mallard (President) on STANZ and sexual discrimination in education the meeting hit its high point with a discussion on whether the Students' Association should abolish its quorum (presently 20%) for Special General Meetings.

Although it was couched in liberal words, it was seen by the meeting for what it was - a plot by the Christian fellowship to get their revenge for a bit of politicking last year whereby they missed out on a grant because the quorum left just before it was granted.

The result of their motion would have been that meetings would go on until finished even if only one person was present.

Next on the Agenda was a proposal for a building fund which took a hell of a long time to establish considering how simple the motion was and the degree of unamity of the meeting.

Just as we got on to the most vital issue of the meeting - (another right wing plot which questioned Wellington's continuing association with S.T.A.N.Z.) - the same student as last year was pulled on the Christian fellowship. The quorum buggered off and the meeting closed amid howls of Christian protest.