Academic freedom

Press, 27 July 1989, Page 12

Academic freedom

Sir, —I would like to congratulate Ted Hicks (July 17) for apparently joining the call for academic freedom. However, setting up a private university as Ted Hicks suggests (July 7), where academics “can teach whatever they like so long as people will pay for it,” would create a university with very little academic freedom. Also, is it not a good thing not to be “taught to hold your own” in “criminal or socially unacceptable activity”? K. Tappin (July 17) asks if .students are really living well below the poverty line. Having been a student living and working with other students who get less than the dole, but who still have to pay fees, buy textbooks (which are far from cheap) and pay other universityrelated expenses on top of normal living costs, I think I can say that most are. Most of these late-

model “student” cars belong to the parents of the students who drive them. There are more than 9000 students at Canterbury University. Are there 9000 cars in the surrounding streets? The fact that “the majority are late models,” could show that it is becoming more difficult to obtain a university education if you come from a poorer family. — Yours, etc.,

R. JAMIESON, July 24, 1989.