Students Against Boycott Proposal

Press, Volume CIV, Issue 30712, 30 March 1965, Page 14

Students Against Boycott Proposal

The University of Canterbury Students’ Association last night decided unanimously not to support the one-da y boycott of lectures proposed by Victoria University of Wellington.

The boycott is proposed as a protest against Government I “indifference” to the claims iof students and the needs of higher education. Mr P. Tipping, a member of the executive, said it was the unanimous opinion of the executive that the proposed boycott was premature and irresponsible. All the matters it would set out to achieve were already under consideration by the Government.

The effect of such a boycott would be hostility by the oress and the public, he said. 'Reasoned action, “not a tinpot threat," was wanted. Mr Tipping said that Victoria University was a special case. Behind the boycott had been a concentrated effort by an executive which had applied pressure on the students of the university, in some cases by the use of inflammatory posters. “If we press the Government in this way for extra finance, hostels, facilities, or anything extra, we are encouraging it to rob some other section of the New Zealand economy,” said Mr Tipping.

The association felt that greater support and attention from the Government could perhaps develop from discussions at the forthcoming Easter council of the seven New Zealand universities.

I Proposals seeking, as a protest against racial segregation, to prevent members of the ■Canterbury University Rugby Football Club from taking ' part in the New Zealand Universities match against the visiting South African team in September were defeated. National Association Mr M. Moriarty, president [of the New Zealand Universities Students’ Association, ad [dressed the students. He e\ ! plained some of the achievements of the national body iin the last year and outlined I proposals. I A number of seminars would be held, he said. These would cover the Parry report, the role of student associations, New Zealand and its future development and interest in the Pacific. The national body proposed to sejd a party to Indonesia. Mr Moriarty said. It was regrettable that under the Volunteer Service Abroad scheme there was no-one in Indonesia this year for the first time in seven years Sufficient numbers were not coming forward, and more consideration should be given by students to this useful and worthy scheme. Mr Moriarty said that the University Grants Committee had been asked by the Minister of Education (Mr Kinsella) to review bursary levels in April.