STUDENT AFFAIRS

The year 1977 saw continued development in Union activities of a social cultural nature. Union clubs and societies continued to broaden in scope of interests and there appeared to be a trend towards non-political clubs, and clubs of a more autonomous nature.

The Activities Department expanded into new areas as well as developing traditional interests. Students also were made aware of the opportunity to pursue new schemes,

Mr Michael Richardson was appointed Activities Director in the middle of the year, and a Craft Supervisor was also engaged to supervise the craft area and the craft programme.

The newly-developed craft area made it possible for an increase in craft tuition places towards the end of 1977, an increase of 50 per cent over 1976. The extended facilities made it possible to cater for approximately 600 students per term. Craft classes were run from January until the end of third term, during the day and during the evening. There was also an increase in the number of University staff members who took advantage of the craft classes.

The Union Council appointed an entertainment officer to look after audio-visual entertainment for Union-based activities. This was successful and will be continued for 1978.

The Activities Department and the Union Council continued to work together with activities providing secretarial support and financial management for the Union Council and its affiliated clubs and societies, and continued to produce the daily activities sheet as well as maintaining the classified advertisement boards in the Union foyer.

Music practice and meeting rooms were administered by the Activities Department as well as the ever popular Games rooms.

The Rowden White Library continued to be well used by students.

During the year, 5,500 books were borrowed and subscriptions to magazines numbered 250.

Approximately 300 books were added to the Library's collection.

In addition to the general book buying, 80 new play scripts were purchased by the Library on behalf of the Union Theatre Depart- ment. The Theatre Department asked for these to be housed in the Library where they are accessible to students participating in drama activities.

Eighty-eight rock/pop/jazz records and 21 classical records were bought. The Listening room was used continuously by students.

Early in 1977, Gaston Renard, the noted antiquarian book dealer

and collector, made a complete valuation of the old and rare books

in the Rowden White Library. These books will eventually be on

display in a new glass-fronted book case which is being built in

the Library. The Library thanks the women in the Union Cafeteria

and Adams Cakes Pty Ltd, for this new cabinet. Until now, there has not been enough suitable space to display the books.

After stocktaking, the main catalogue was updated and the com- pilation of the subject catalogue was continued. The stocktaking showed that approximately 773 books were taken from the Library and not returned. The previous stocktaking showed the figure of 787 books missing over a period of two years.

On recording the number of books taken from each section it was discovered that Women's Studies and Sociology, Politics, Literature and Biography were the areas hardest hit. As the number of missing books is increasing yearly, Library staff is attempting to find ways to prevent the losses.

Library staff members are grateful for the continued interest and support of Miss Doris Kilburn, Sir Rowden White's niece.

During 1977, the programme of changing exhibitions was continued by the Ewing and George Paton Galleries. Sixteen exhibitions were held in the two spaces and in addition the programme of films, lectures and discussions was continued and expanded. The range of exhibitions was extremely diverse in accordance with the Gallery's policy of presenting a wide range of material within a given year.

In addition to displaying the Ewing Collection for six months, the exhibitions' programmes included:

• Just Another Sunrise — photographs by Jon Rhodes.

• The Money Show. An ideas show which involved the responses of a wide range of people (not only artists) from Australia and overseas to a series of questions relating to attitudes towards money.

• Peasant Paintings from Hu County, Shensi Province, China. This exhibition was organized by the Australian Gallery Directors' Council and its Australian tour began in the Ewing and George Paton Galleries. A working party, including Mr Kiu Chih-Kuei, a peasant painter, accompanied the exhibition and discussed the work with the Press and public. The Exhibition, celebrating the life of people in Hu County, was extremely popular and it is estimated that 11,000 people visited the Gallery.

• Workings — John Danvers. John Danvers, an English artist, visited Australia in 1977. An Exhibition of his drawings was pre- sented in the George Paton and Ewing Galleries. This was particu- larly successful because it provided students and the public with an opportunity to experience a work in progress and to hold discus- sions with the artist.

• Dream Weekend: A Project for Australia — Lynn Hershman. This

project was organized by the Ewing and George Paton Galleries

with the Exhibitions Gallery, Department of Visual Arts, Monash

University. The galleries were able to bring the American artist

Lynn Hershman to Australia to work in the Australian context. She

took over a merchant builder's display house at Vermont South for three days and during this time modified the environment to provide a new and altered vision of urban life. The house was open to the public and a 16mm black and white film, and video docu- mented the event. This was an extremely exciting project where art was taken out of the gallery context into a suburban environment.

• You, Them and Us. A video installation by Melbourne artists, Judi Stack and Bob Weis. This installation comprising three sec- tions using five video playback decks, 19 monitors and two closed circuit security cameras created an environment where the power of the media and its relationship to and influence on the viewer, was examined.

• Walls Sometimes Speak. An exhibition of political posters by the Earthworks Poster Collective, a Sydney-based group. This exhibi- tion was enthusiastically received by students.

In addition several one person exhibitions were held. These included Rae Marks, Catherine Rogers, Elizabeth Coats and Christine Hooper.

One of the most exciting activities was a season of films screened in conjunction with the exhibition Just Another Sunrise entitled Cultures in Conflict. Other activities included lectures by James Watt, Curator, Art Gallery of Hong Kong; John Danvers, English artist; Lynn Hershman, American artist; Ian Dunlop, ethnographic film-maker with Film Australia; video tapes by Sam Schoenbaum, Australian artist living in Amsterdam; and Bill Viola, American artist.

Approximately 44,000 people visited the Gallery and attended activi- ties organized by the Gallery.

Once again, the gallery was fortunate to receive grants from the Visual Arts Board, Australia Council and the Australian Gallery Directors' Council. In addition Meredith Rogers, Assistant Director, received a travel grant from the Visual Arts Board to study experi- mental and non-commercial galleries and institutions in the United States and Europe. This took place over a 10-week period, January to March, 1978.

By far the most significant development in an eventful year for student theatre was the Season of Australian Plays: The Last Ten Years, sponsored by the Union Theatre Department and presented by a number of affiliated student groups throughout the year.

Initially conceived to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hibberd's White With Wire Wheels and the simultaneous birth of La Mama, the season was highly successful both with audiences and the groups concerned with the productions, and should lead to similar seasons.

Considerable favourable press notice was taken of other student

theatre productions as well, most notably Peter Pan and Richard

III and, as in the past, the Union and Guild Theatres were used ex-

tensively by student, graduate, faculty and outside organizations

for plays, films and concerts. Unfortunately, in a year of con-

siderable industrial unrest the Theatre Department lost a number

of weeks of revenue because of a State-wide power strike and the Department's lack of an emergency generator.

On the other hand, during the long vacation, the Union Theatre's aged film projectors were replaced by the most modern available, the projection box was overhauled and so far as quality is con- cerned, the Union's standards of film presentation are as good as any in Melbourne.

Hiring fees for the Department's theatres were not increased during 1977 which, coupled with the added support to student theatre given by the Union Board's Theatre Sub-committee and the Uni- versity's Theatre Board, meant that many new groups were able to

perform plays hitherto thought to be uneconomic.

Early in 1977, a feasibility study on possible renovations to the basement and backstage areas of the Union Theatre was com- missioned by the University Theatre Board, the Keith Macartney Fund and the Union Board. Initial recommendations were made at the end of the year and are being examined by a specially-formed sub-committee. It is hoped that some decisions can be made about increasing the flexibility of the Theatre during 1978.

The workshops and classes organized by the Theatre Department were, as usual, variously well attended and one major innovation was the University Theatre Board's experiment of hiring three actors-in-residence during second term. Union facilities and assist- ance were greatly involved in this project.

Following the conclusion of Mr Michael Richardson's term on the Board, Mr David Buller was elected to replace him as Chairman of the Board. Mr M. G. Lincoln took up his position as Honorary Treasurer in January.

Mr Andrew Listen followed Mr Andrew Moulton as Union Council

Chairman and Messrs Gordon Gebbie, Henry Lanzer and James

Fan were elected to the Board following the conclusion of Messrs

Richardson's and Richard Cherry's and Nicholas Keks' terms of

office.