President

I was interested to read in the latest copy of Truth that university students have now "got what they wanted". To quote Truth "their National Union has had to clean up its act and the students have purged the left-wing NZUSA, and radical changes have resulted".

In a series of three articles entitled "Clean Up On Campus"; "New Look: Union Saved" and "Politics out for the Sports Car Students", Truth has attempted to analyse the current state of student politics. In their usual style of "principled" journalism and search for the truth, they have invented a secret meeting which the President of Otago and other South Island campuses nutted out badly needed reforms and pushed them through at May Council.

Whether the Otago President, Mr Guest (who has now resigned), has been badly misquoted, or whether he got carried away with his own rhetoric will not be known. However, to claim that "NZUSA is now reasonably conservative with an absolutely clear direction and policy" is extremely misleading. Though administrative reforms, some of which have made the organisation more efficient, have been made, the policy itself has not substantially been changed.

Andrew Guest also told Truth that "NZUSA had become a political body rather than a welfare organisation". This very argument had been debated at great length at Council. The conclusion was that NZUSA was by its very nature a political organisation and would remain so — to say otherwise is rubbish.

In the second article entitled "Politics Out for the Sports Car Students", Truth claims that in 1978 "Sports cars and fashion wear have replaced bare feet and dirty jeans". In its usual simplistic approach it says the whole student body has changed from being banner waving and bearded weirdos to staid, conservative fashion orientated zombies. Five years ago, Truth claims, students at university led a charmed life.

This simplistic assessment, the near glorification of the early 1970s is misleading. Not every student was involved in demonstrations though their awareness was indeed heightened by the events of the Vietnam War and they did have more time to participate in extra curricular activities.

It is interesting to note that now, the article claims, students have no time to become involved in political activities nor have the interest — but this is not completely true. Granted there is less time for students to become involved, but that does not mean that there is no time.

There is indeed a shift to a more conservative and elitist group coming to university but there also are other students who are managing to survive (only just) and cannot afford sports cars or even battered up Volkswagens.

It is interesting to note that the article does not talk about the heavy student involvement and active participation by students in the SIS demonstrations last year. It is particularly interesting because students demonstrated in a spontaneous demonstration at the end of the third term — a time in which most students value their last minute for exam preparation.

Students have also been actively involved in the abortion issue. Though students campaign about bursaries, the bursaries issue is not only directly concerned with themselves. Marching for better bursaries means marching for better education — an education available not only to the rich and privileged, but also to the poor.

It is unlikely that issues such as Vietnam will bring students out into the streets in their thousands but what is highly likely is that the increasing encroachment by this Government on civil liberties will force students into a greater awareness of what is happening in our society.

Lindy Cassidy