VUWSA rejects ANZAC invite

VUWSA rejects ANZAC invite

Michael Oliver, Jessy Edwards, Salient

In a decision made fewer than three days out from the day itself, Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA) decided to reject an invitation from the Wellington City Council to lay a wreath at this year’s ANZAC Day commemorations.

The decision, made during the weekly VUWSA Exec Meeting, was borne out of a desire not to “arbitrarily” observe events for which there was no formal VUWSA policy on.

VUWSA does not currently have a formal position on officially commemorating ANZAC Day, and this position was considered the “overarching” reason for the rejection.

VUWSA President Jasmine Freemantle said there was no “official mandate from students” to recognise ANZAC Day, despite the association being present during the last five ANZAC Day ceremonies.

“There has been no official mandate from students for VUWSA to recognise ANZAC Day, but a formal movement to do so will be made at Student Representative Council meeting later in the year,” Freemantle said.

During the April 22 VUWSA Exec Meeting, the issue of whether or not a VUWSA representative would be present at this year’s ANZAC Day dawn service was broached with much contention.

VUWSA’s Vice President of Administration Alexander Neilson claimed a wreath would be unnecessary.

“There’s no point in placing a wreath if it has nothing to do with students,” Neilson said during the Thursday 22 Exec meeting.

Neilson went on to explain that Victoria had already “done its part” to commemorate the fallen with the construction of the Memorial Theatre. He went on to suggest the possibility of laying a wreath in the theatre itself, or holding a few moments of silence before the next meeting.

A number of Exec members were vehemently against the idea of laying a wreath, saying it was not VUWSA policy to condone war.

Vice President of Education, Freya Eng, expressed concern for the association’s reputation.

“I don’t want to look like we support war at all,” she said.

Neilson offered a consolation whereby the association laid a “small” wreath as recognition of students who served in the military “and leave it at that.”

2007 VUWSA President Geoff Hayward found the 2009 Exec’s decision offensive.

“As an individual, I’m appalled with the decision, not because it’s a flip-flop of what has been acknowledged by VUWSA as commemorating the loss of so many young lives in war, including former VUW students, an acknowledgement going back several decades, but the hijacking of the day to advance a political viewpoint,” Hayward said.

“[This is] at a time when people are acknowledging the sacrifice, and not the ideologies that may have led to their sacrifice. They are being so selfish for having dissenting views, when those who died gave up the ability to hold them, and gave students today a chance to express them.”

The university sports a long and storied history of involvement in military service. Male students were required to undergo territorial training during World War II, following the completion of exams. 290 students are known to have lost their lives during the conflict.

In 1942, the Victoria University of Wellington Students Association actively engaged in raising money for the Patriotic Fund, which financed all the work done by the YMCA and the Church Army during the World War II. The association also invested in government stock.

In 2007, ANZAC Day commemorations were marred by a number of anti-war students from Victoria University burning a New Zealand flag on the grounds of the Old Government Buildings, situated across from where dawn services were taking place.

Officials from Victoria University were unavailable to comment at the time of publication.

This story was syndicated by the Aotearoa Student Press Association via Salient www.salient.org.nz

ENDS

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