Arts-AGM

Arts Council is not a body most students are familiar with, but it does manage to swallow 45c of each students Students Association Fee. Last weekend I trooped along to the A.G.M. of Arts Council at which the main issue was its financial viability.

The meeting was opened by guest speakers Andrew Drummond and Nicholas Spiller from the Wellington Art Gallery. Their ideas were representative of some constituents who felt that the main role of The New Zealand Students Arts Council (NZSAC Inc.) was to further "the arts" and that financial controls on Arts Council would hinder such activity.

This view was opposed to the attitudes expressed at NZUSA May Council and at this meeting by Massey and Victoria who felt Arts Council should be subject to financial restrictions since it bears both a financial and cultural responsibility to its student members.

The two different approaches clashed many times and eventually Victoria proposed some constitutional amendments that would have ensured more democratic representation in Arts Council and greater financial control.

Victoria felt the issue of financial control was particularly important not only in the light of Arts Council past financial record which is very poor, but more particularly concerning two Arts Council activities this year both of which lost money despite the fact that it resolved this year to engage in low-cost campus-orientated activities.

Unfortunately the constitutional changes proposed by Victoria to guard against such losses — the setting up of a Financial sub-committee composed of all the treasurers from each constituent and the treasurer of N.Z.S.A.C. Inc. — was not voted upon because such changes require a month's notice.

There will now be a postal ballot to decide it. Victoria's other proposal for constitutional change — a management sub-committee to provide direct political representation for its constitutents and thus make Arts Council more democratic was withdrawn without being voted on.

Debate also centred round the policy of Arts Council — which is now incorporated — which means it is separate from NZUSA. Although it could be a powerful political organisation the new Arts Council — NZSAC Inc. has no policy basis for this.

On the second day of the meeting discussion centred round Arts Festival which needs a large influx of student support to ensure its success. The budgeted number of student registrations is 2,500 and an incredibly astounding range of activities are proposed, covering all aspects of the arts.

— Lindy Cassidy