Volume 35 Number 09 - University of the Witwatersrand

The Wits general assembly:Reject the racist quotaOver 6 000 people gatheredon the Library lawns lastweek in a tame protest againstthe implementation of aQuota System.The Vice-Chanccllor calleclthe lrd Gencral Assembll,in thehistorl ol the I niicrsitv t,'protest agalnst an amendmenlothc Extension ol Unirersitie:Act u,hich lvill Iimit the nunrberof black students admittcd toWits.Each Black student al prcsenlmust pcrsonally appll'to theminister of ltlational EducationIor a ncrmit to study at Wits.Under the proposed new sysrcmthe university may choose whichstudents mav study at Wits.Horvever. once the quota. set bythe minister. is lilted. it rvill bethe university and not theMinister of National Educationthat will have to iurn studentsawav.fhe Vice Chanccllor. Prol DLrPlessis convened the'unusualevent' stating that thc amcndmentwas an 'Extraordinarl'thrt--at to Acadenric F rcedonr'.He said that the'integritv ol the, university rests on the twinpillars of Autonomy and AcademicFreedorn.'Autonorll- being the riqht rohave lree and total control ol'erone's alfairs. and AcadernicFreedom berng the right todecide rvhat and rvhonr shall bctaught.Pro(' Du Plessis said an),violation of Academic Freedontis a violation of thc Univcrsitr''snational responsibilitl'. He saidthat the U niversitr''s point olview must be accepted f'orlurther debate. The I niversitrhas a 'duty to express a contrar,\,view honestll- and fairly.'1-heVice-Chancellor indicated thatthe maximurn contribution ol'the llnirersitr lo the nalion uusProt Charlton, Mr Lampert, Prof Du P/essrq Mr Rosholt, Dr Stutterheim, prof Tobiusond Mr Vogelman oll addressed the crowdThe Vice-Principal, ProlCharlton expressed the (lnivcrsity"sbelrct rn the'irrelevancc ofcolour ancl race as criteria l'oradmission to the U nir. ersity.'Amidst hisses. the Chancellor.I)r R.osholt. purposccl that rve'must del'cnd Academic Freedomas',ve dclend frce enterprise'.He made mention of the'nerv and sinister componentthat strikes at the heart of thcuniversitv's autononr)': the wilhdrarvalol so\.crnmental subsidiesfrom universities thatreluse to compll .'He reiterated univcrsitl,' policvthat it is'the Council arrd nrrother bodv. that should decideon adnrission critcria'.[)r Stuttcrheim, Chairrnan of(-ounr'ilcelled orr thc nrinister loscrap'lrom the statute book'alllirrrns of discrimination in tcrnisIiol race and cttlour. He said thcUniversity would be compelledto carry out a 'non academic andhence irrelevant process'.''[he U niversity stands lorpursuit of truth'. Dr Stutterheirlsaid.ln an impassioned speech.Prof Tobias, speaking on behalfof Senate)stated that the proposalswere 'frankly racist'. ProfTobias who was at the lorefrontin 1959 of the protests againstthe irnplementation of the Extensionol' Llnirersitl' Act mentioncdlast week that theThere u as loud applause rvhenProl Tobias called for lhctinivcrsitl to reluse outlight tcrirnplementhe bill. He said that(luotas ilre'abhorrent" and are'naked tools ol racisrr andrcpfcsslorl'. The proposcd\\ \len) is 'lnde lensihlc irr principle.odious in application. andollensivc in practicc',M r l-ampcrt. I)residcnt ol theConr'ocation. talked of' the lossto c()mmercc and industrv ol'rkilled and spc'ciaiised u'orkerstJnirersitv is again del'endingAcrdemic Freedtrm. I lnir ersityautonorn)' and non-racialism'.He said, to great applause, that'again frecdom. principles andleelings had been butchered tomakc a Roman holiday t'or rheapostles ol' Apartheid. He saidthat ethnic quotas 'entrenchethnicity' and the 'governmentrvas insensitive to the repug-nance felt by Wits to raciallvbased University education.'because of the implementationol the Quota Bill He said thatthe executive committee ol Convocatlonhad unaninrously endorsedthe statement of Senatecondenrning the tsill.He did say that the bill rvas an'af lront ro rhe dignity of man,and humiliating to the personconcerned.'1'hen Lloyd Vogelman. SRCpresident said that repressionin the form ol the euota Billmade a mockery of the attemptsbv the government at relorm. Henrentioned that: 'the Universirybeconres an acrive participanr inapartheid'.He referred to the UCTmeeting at which 400 Academicspassed a motion calling on theUCT administration to activelyoppose the bill and to relirse tocarry it out. should it becornelarv. He said that the Capc Townacademics had likened it to tirerestrictions placed on.feu,s ttrinstitutions of higher lcarning inNazi Germanv.Vogelman said that'Thetlrrive rsit1, l'uil'ils an obligationto thc people of Sourh All.ica.lttrd lo thc principlcs ol Jrrstic.and equalitl' and must thc-rcfirriact ua I I,r' del_r" the Lrill."z\cadernicFrecdom'. hc said,'has a rcsponrihiiitltrl identrll ing and scrr ingthc nceds of all ths peoplc inSouth r\fl'ica'. and hence'thcrccan bc no monopolization ol'k norvlcdgc'.