“Students’ Executive In Need Of Reform”

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31320, 16 March 1967, Page 18

“Students’ Executive In Need Of Reform”

The executive and committees of the University of Canterbury Student’s Association were seriously In need of reform, the president (Mr J. C. Anderson) said last night at the annual meeting of the association in the University hall.

The meeting, attended by about 180 students, was quiet and orderly. Members of the executive had, with the president, spent 80 per cent of their time on administration and only 20 per cent on educational activities. He said that education was the main task of the executive not administration. The appointment of a union manager this year had helped the executive considerably in the last month. Mr Anderson suggested that the students* executive be enlarged so that the tasks would be spread among more students. The executive should be elected in the third term of each year to allow elected

members to prepare a budget and programme which would be presented at the annual meeting. The students* executive is elected now at the beginning of each university year. Students’ association subscriptions last year amounted to £28,047. Of this, £16,160 was transferred to a building reserve fund. Expenditure amounted to £11,362 which left an excess of income over expenditure of £365. A motion by Mr Anderson that the association request the University of Canterbury Council to initiate proceedings to reinstate student representation on the council, was carried. The last representative served on the council in 1961. If a representative was chosen he would serve for three years on the council, Mr Anderson said. The council was concerned with students and there were all types of people on the council except students. Mr A. Dennis said that it was necessary to have a student on the council and the students should unite behind the executive in applying to the council and to the Government for reinstatement of a student representative. At the retirement of the past executive and president, the new president (Mr T. Armitage) thanked the immediate past president (Mr J. Anderson) and conferred life membership of the association on him.