iiB M lAC £OP% C.A.W. IS COMING 8-13 MARCH 1982 What are you doing? STUDENT NEWSPAPER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF NEWCASTLE UPON TYNE WEDNESDAY, 3rd MARCH, 1982 No. 668. Price 5p LATEST SHUT!!! DAY NURSERY TO CLOSE VOTE The student representatives view which was that student wel­ become available.” to a number of students by the loss who were at this Monday’s fare should not be seen to be in The Student representatives also of this facility. He proposed that At last the round of elections is almost over following meeting of University competition for financial resources presented a 1,500 name petition to the Council instruct the Day with academic departments. Mr. the Council calling the University Nursery Management Committee last week’s voting for the new executives of SRC and Council were angry and UMC and yesterday’s for Ordinary Members of UMC. Spalding also rejected the notion to keep the Nursery open. Even to look into ways in which the upset after the Council dec­ that the future of the Nursery that failed to move the majority of University could provide help for For yesterday’s elections, the result is not available at the time of ision to close the Day should be seen in purely financial Council members. students who had children. going to press but it’s safe to say that the six people for whom you saw Nursery from September terms. Professor Laurence Martin, the the most publicity leading up to the election duly got themselves Vice Chancellor, was most con­ PROTEST elected. 1st. EXPENSIVE cerned over the University com­ The next scene in the 15 year The Day Nursery Management LANDSCAPING plying with “ advice” issued by the saga of the Day Nursery revolves As for the ten elections held last week, four were contests against the Committee recommended a two As M r. Spalding was later to Universities Grants Committee around the response of the S.R.C. ubiquitous RON (Re-open Nominations) as the posts themselves were point plan to Council which would comment to Courier: “The finan- which instructed Universities to and the other campus Unions to uncontested. In those unopposed elections, Eugene Milne, a likeable have allowed the Nursery to rem­ enthusiastic medic succeeded in becoming next year’s editor of this ain open for at least the next three marvellous paper; the equally enthusiastic Noel McGivern was chosen years. to succeed to the post of VP services; dour but genial Scot Pete Leven- After a heated debate the son will take over as SRC Publicity Officer, and Sandra Stevens will be Committee’s recommendations the first person to hold the new post of Accommodation Officer. were rejected by 16 votes to 9 with 4 abstentions. In a far from close victory, another medic, Jo Latimer, defeated Mar­ tin Reppion to become VP Without Portfolio of SRC while her friend NO REPRIEVE and colleague Gwyneth Jones has moved from being this year’s SRC The Committee’s recommenda­ Societies Treasurer to being next year’s Union Society Convenor of tions would have required the Debates having beaten one Jeremy Mayes of letters page fame and the University to underwrite the cost one and only Jamse Mathews in the process. of the premises occupied by the Head of Security Joe Carlebach cruised the election for Vice- Nursery, and would have given President of the Union Society against purely hypothetical opposition the Nursery 3 years in which to from Kevin Rusby while former nurse Annie Skelton ousted the right- achieve a break-even position. wing menace in the form of Richard Curless for the post of VP Welfare. In making these proposals Pro­ fessor Roy Storer, Dean of Dentis­ What for many people was the shock result of last week’s voting saw try and Chairman of the Day first year smiling Sue Crawford defeat established hack Paul Nursery Management Committee, Fernandes-Montez and baby-faced David Addison to become VP Cul­ outlined the difficulties that were tural Affairs in succession to Rita Rupal. besetting the Nursery. The high The lighter side of things degenerated into farce during the count running costs of the Nursery when it became clear that the conglomerate joke candidate formed by building in Claremont Road and an alliance of three recent sabbaticals — Andy Brittlebank, Fred the mood of uncertainty over its Blakey and Nicky Edwards — was going to win the election for VP future were blamed for the Community Affairs. After initially ruling the whole election invalid, the Nursery’s financial position. The Senior Returning Officer David George of the politics department deficit on the Day Nursery was allowed the election to stand with the triumphersonite disqualified, ced­ £22,000 last year, and this year is ing victory to Ian Jackson giving him extremes of fury and elation in the projected to be around £20,000. The academic members of same evening but leaving the beaten Dave Hollings with only fury and THE L A ST SUPPER IN THE D A Y NUR SE R Y I . deflation. Council, particularly Mr. Jack Dineley, a lecturer in the Depart­ cial argument simply doesn’t hold ensure that Day Nursery facilities the closure decision, Generally, the results establish very much not just a transfusion of ment of Electrical and Electronic water when you consider that the were not subsidised out of public The S.R.C. has a mandate to new blood but almost a total eight-pint swap for the Union with the Engineering, were at pains to University recently allocated over funds. consider taking “ appropriate wise old head of Simon Spalding to preside over these two newly emphasise the point that at a time £17,000 to landscape the Play­ This argument seems to fall action” to keep the Day Nursery elected Executives of great potential but limited experience. when the University’s income was house car park. That money could down in the light of the fact that a open. Student Officers were con­ contracting the Nursery was an have been spent on keeping the number of other Universities in sidering the options open to them expensive service to provide. Nursery open. I’m also disgusted the country are subsidising their on Monday evening, and, even Mr. Simon Spalding, Students’ that they refused even to consider Nurseries and have not incurred though feelings were understand­ Representative Council Vice Pres­ moving the Nursery into cheaper sanctions from the University ably running high, the possibility EMPTY NEW ident for Welfare and one of the accommodation which could have Grants Committee. of student led direct action which student representatives on Coun­ been provided in the old Library Professor Martin did recognise may involve an occupation, looks VICTORY FOOD cil, put over the S.R.C.’s point of and Medical School when they the problems that would be caused extremely likely. It seems like rather an In a bid to attract much empty triumph to report a needed custom to the Ref­ victory on a welfare issue ectory, a new facility for NORVID BANNED SILLY POLY this week in the light of the private luncheons will soon As part of their Grants Campaign, Newcastle Polytechnic decision on the day nursery be available. have occupied the main switchboard and their adminis­ reported above but celeb­ The Union Society Discip­ was allowed to come in to the tration building. The decision was taken at a meeting on Since the closure of the old building to attend such meetings ration is still in order over Level II there has been very little linary Committee met for as would be necessary as he had Monday and 50 volunteers immediately occupied the the announcement of the space for private luncheons. the second time this term been elected Publicity and Events Director’s Suite and the telephone switchboard. Government’s decision on Therefore, the University last Wednesday evening. Officer for next year. Three General Meetings vetoed occupation, but left the option for embodied a change which has The next two cases resulted the Executive to take such action which understandably, they have fees for overseas visitors manifested itself in creating a new The first case to be heard by done. The Polytechnic are already following National Union of Stu­ on the National Health the Committee concerned an inc­ from a fight at a level six disco a dining area in the Ballroom which few weeks ago. dents proposals for the week, by writing to M.P.’s and becoming inv­ Service. will hopefully meet the demands ident which took place after one olved in .today’s area demonstration, but they have also taken this As “Courier” has been report­ which we were unable to cope of the Bandstand events last term. Mr. Ashley Thom and Mr. Paul further independent decision to occupy, because in the words of Sidi were involved in an argument ing for some time, the original with last year. It was said that the organiser of Polytechnic President, Rob Thorpe, “We felt that direct action was proposal put torward was to about rugby. At a particularly necessary.” The new development will be the event, Mr. Marek Norvid, heated point in the argument Mr. charge all overseas visitors to Bri­ able to cater for a wide field — accused Mr. Andy Kitching, The move has, however, been severely-criticised by N.U.S. who feel tain — indeed all non-British res­ Thom head-butted Mr. Sidi in the that this kind of action will not only win students bad publicity, but also available for both staff and stu­ Union Publicity and Events face and the two were separated.