Dissatisfaction over student fees

Press, Volume CXII, Issue 32819, 20 January 1972, Page 10

Dissatisfaction over student fees

Implied compulsory membership of the Christchurch Technical Institute Students’ Association has caused dissatisfaction among some part-time students at the institute.

The implication that all the 8000 students who will attend the technical institute this year must join the association was made late last year in the association’s magazine. Subsequently a petition was taken up by more than 60 part-time engineering students objecting to the suggested compulsion, and n .ting that only 220 students at the institute were actually members of the association. PETITION PRESENTED

The petition was presented to the Technical Institute Council which acts as the agent for the Students’ Association in the collection of fees. Discussion on the matter was held in committee by the Council at its last meeting for 1971. One of the petitioners, Mr T. C. Faulkner, said yesterday that as most of the students at the institute were there in a part-time capacity, they had little use for the association—-although he admitted that it would be a valuable asset to those students who attended the institute full-time. “However, it looks now as though we have cleared up the matter,” said Mr Faulkner. “Nowhere in the institute’s prospectus is it written that it is compulsory to join the association. It will be left to the individual to decide.”

Mr G. R. Jenkin, president of the Students’ Association, said that he hoped all students would see the importance of such a body which, he said, had the full support of the Technical Institute Council. “All students should re-

SQUADRON LEADER R. F. LAWRY, of Blenheim, who will leave for California on Sunday to spend two years on exchange duty with s United States Navy attack squadron. The American exchange pilot is Lieutenant L. Pfltzenmaier, who is serving with No. 75 (Skyhawk) Squadron at Ohakea, Squadron Leader Lawry is on the staff of the Director of Operations (Air Staff) at Defence Headquarters, Wellington.

member that it was largely through the efforts of organised student opinion that the Government granted higher bursaries for technical institute students as from this year,” Mr Jenkin said. “We cannot charge compulsory fees as yet, but I don’t think we are asking very much with fees of $1 and others of 50c for short-term, part-time students.” STUDENT WELFARE

As the full-time roll of students at technical institutes throughout New Zealand was starting to show large increases, the importance of student welfare services was becoming evident, Mr Jenkin said.

“We just cannot sit back and wait for the administrators to provide all these services,” he said. “It is surely up to us to help ourselves. After all, we all benefit from working together on these things.” Mr Jenkin also pointed out that if students wanted representation on technical institute councils, as recommended recently, they could not expect it unless their own associations represented a full student membership.