BRmSHUBfiAPfOfOl^ j [coiiottlc souct >\8JU1990 NEWSPAPER of the LSE STUDENTS' UNION No. 153 SEPTEMBER 29th. 1976 FREE STRUGGLE ALU YOU V/ISH FOOL\ EXPLOSION ST(^RTS HERE ! BUT \F 1 CAN'T OESmCSY you — — MY OEW)UY CBv^TRE OF EXCELIEV^E WIUL I V i \\v A.. THE ANONSTER'S 5TEEL JAV/S SPELL ' BKAVJK, September 29th. 1976—I'age Tw» Let us eat and drink for tomorrow... REVISED REVIVERS STUDENTS returning after the summer vacation will find a transformation tn the School's catering arrangements. A new bar is being provided and pizzas and hamburgers have a special place in the new arrangements. What is behind the changes? The Refectory Advisory Committee, which consists of representatives of all groups within the School, has been conscious for some time of discontent with some parts of the catering service. The Committee has also been very worried by the large losses incurred in School restaurants. So, for the past 18 months, a thorough review has been going on which culminated in the spring of this year in a market research survey. Ten per cent of students and staff of the School were interviewed to see what they thought about the existing arrangements and also about the Committee's ideas for replacing them with something new. Fears were confirmed and it was obvious that most people thought the main Refector>- on the third floor to be particularly unsatisfactory in most rfespects. Other restaurants came better out of the survey, but the case for substantial change was clear. Of the new ideas it seemed that pizzas, hamburgers and a new licensed bar would be very popular. Information about what is being offered m the new restaurants has been widely distributed and so I shall only briefly summarise what is now offered. The emphasis has changed ver>' much towards snack-type meals. The Pizzaburger on the third floor, as its name suggests, offers pizzas and hamburgers. The Brunch Bowl on the same floor serves breakfasts, beverages throughout the day and then at lunchtime, salads, sandwiches, rolls and hot snacks. Next door to the Brunch Bowl is the Beavers' Retreat, the new bar where drinks are at slightly below pub prices. Real ale is going to be a feature of this bar and reasonably-priced wines will also be on sale, including full bottles. It is hoped that this bar will provide a valuable addition to the life of the School and be a place where staff and students can mix. The Robinson Room remains as the one restaurant open to everybody which serves conventional meals. This has always been a popular restaurant and used to be open in the evenings. Many people were disappointed when the evening meal was discontinued a couple of years ago. It will now once again be Open until 7 pm. The Brunch Bowl, as well as serving different food, is being refurnished and redecorated and divided into sections to make it a more attractive restaurant. Very few items have been increased in price and in general the aim has been to leave prices as they were last year. To a certain extent the level of prices is determined by the number of customers who eat in the restaurants. It is hoped that the restaurants will all prove popular and so help to keep the prices down. The changes reflect the wishes of members expressed through the market survey and also through their representatives on the Refectory Advisory Committee. The Students' Union has five representatives on .the Committee, which will be keeping a close -watch on how the arrangements work. The expected mixture of problems and delays has caused some headaches over the summer, but although some of the restaurants will not be open quite as soon as we had hoped it looks as though all restaurants will Ije functioning near the beginning of term. Please be prepared for some teething troubles and give Committee members any comments or suggestions you may have. TONY FLOWERDEW Chairman of the Refectory Advisory Committee. FLOKRIES FOR FUN NO Student should miss out on the joys of eating in Plorries. the Stu-derits' Union Snack Bar. Under the cheerful and efficient management of Joan Howell, Florries offers the hungry student a wide variety of siindwiches and freshly, well tilled rolls at the amazing price of 8p. In addition to the "old dependable". hot pies and pasties, the Snack Bar Is introducing hot dogs with real sausages! Dont hesitate to pop in for a refreshing cup of tea or coffee, 5p and 6p respective^', which Joan will ensure is made as you like it. Florries also caters for the sweet-toothed amongst you, with an extensive range of cakes and sweets, and those of you addicted to the evil weed. Florries is not merely an eating place, it also represents the training ground for many a budding student politician. Here you may catch rumours of, the latest Broad Left aUiance. watch the Anarchist institute of Jewish Studies MODERN HEBREW 7 levels ranging from begif^oers to advanced. Every Thursday at 6.00 p.rr^. * JEWISH THOUGHT Jewish thinking on contemporary issues. Weekly sessions. ARAB AfSiD JEWISH NATIONALISM A comparative study of the development of two of the most important movements in world politics. • Tuesday evenings * HISTORY OF ZIONIST THOUGHT From the'early Zionist thinkers to modern limes. Wednesday evenings. * PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF JUDAISM A course for anyone v/anting to know what the Jewish religion is all about. Day to o? announced. E'lrolment'sessions .v!! be held on the 5lh, 6th & 7th Octotv' beV.een 12 & 2.00 pm & 6 & 10 pm m Hillel House, 1 2 Endsleigh Street. WCl (n-ixt doot the N.U.S.) nearest buses 73.14,30 nearest tube; Euston {Victoria & Northern Lines), Euston Sauaf® (Metropolitan & Circle Lines). further courses wii' br arranged if th^re is sufficient demand. Co'-'act the Secretary, U.S. c/o Millet House, with your cgestions. * MYSTICISM AND CHASSIDUr An introductory course in Kabbalah and other related topics. Tuesday evenings. * ABIRDSEYE VIEW OF JEWISH HISTORY An introductory course looking at the most Significant periods in the history of the Jewish people. Evening to be confirmed. * AN INTRODUCTION TO TALMUD A course for complete beginners (minimal Hebrew required), devofing some time to the social and political background of the period. Tuesday evenings. * TALMUD In-depth studies of the analytic structure of the Talmud. Wednesday evenings. * ISRAELI SOCIETY An analysis of social, economic and political issues in Israel today. F.U.N.E.M.N.X.? IN an attempt to combat increasing trading losses, the School has devised a catering scheme which it is hoped will even threaten the MacDonald enterprises! From an emphasis on full meals which dominated the refectory and Robinson Room, the Refectory Advisory Committee have turned their hopes to snacks, salads and sandwiches, in particular American-style eating, featuring hamburgers and pizzas in the Old Snack Bar, now transformed to the "Pizzaburger". The School, however, has not forgotten those of you who yearn for the three course. English lunch. This will be provided in the J^binson Room, once the haunt of post-graduates and richer undergraduates. situated on the 2nd Floor of the Main Building. One major dra^-back is that between 12 and 2 pm there is a minimum charge of 34p. In the same mood of transformation. the Refectory is to become the Brunch Bowl. Here the offerings are light meals, including quiche (i.e. ham and egg pie), pies and sausages. Snacks will be serned during the remainder of the day. Breakfast will make an appearance between 9 and 10 a.m. In the immediate vicinity a pub atmosphere complete with ploughman's lunches will be provided by the Beaver's Retreat. A full range of drinks will be stocked, including "real ales" e.g. Youngs, Shepherd Neame, and wines. These new services represent aa attempt by the School to emulata the profit-making enterprises run by the Students' Union, namely Florries and the Three Tuns Bar. However the major advantage of the SU's catering services is generally considered to be the substaa-tially lower price and it remains to be seen whether the School's new schemes will be any competition for this overriding consideration fw the majority of students. CATERING SERVICES School: Robinson Room. 2n4 Floor Main Building; 12-2 pm, 2.4$-4.30 p.m., 4.45-7 pm. Pizzaburger, 3rd Floor Maia' Building, 11 am-5.30 pm. Brunch Bowl, 3rd Floor Mam Building, 9 am-4.30 pm. Beavers Retreat, 3rd Floor Main Building (through Brunch Bowl), 12-2 pm; 5-9 pm. Students' Union: Florries Snackbar, First Floor St Clement's Builer pint. Wfc have a wide variety of bottle#-"^ lagers from 17p to 31p each, an*' a reasonable selection of sp;riU • and non-alcoholic drinks. With considerable luck and »' little improvisation in the "cellar", • we should have Samuel Smith*#' Old Brewery Bitter installed by th» first week of term. F*urthermore there is the possibility that we shall' join the intercollegiate Snookw League and the informal system of' darts matches against the Porters • and the "White Horse" should continue. On behalf of the bar staff (thi» most impoverished of students reduced to serving other students), [¦ welcome all our customers old and' new to yet another year at LSE. TED CATER Your Union Shop WHETHER you're a keen Socialist, a hip funlover, or just a hardworking student, your every daily need is catered for as much as possible in the Union Shop. Inside this friendly, full shop (by the pigeonholes in St. Clement's Building) you may browse through posters, cards, tee-shirts, secondhand books and records, or you can buy emergency supplies of food and chemist items, smoking equipment or rubbers. Whether you are interested in these samples of our range or not, you must equip yourself from our stationery supplies . . . files, writing pads, typing paper, pens, desk outfits, diaries, etc.— all these and many more are' sold here at rock-bottom prices, undercutting W. H. Smiths and' all leading stores. Cheapness apart, having covered staff and other costs, any surplus the shop might make' gives the students extra funds. . So don't delay, come and see what we've got in store for you! P.S.—Any student with a van' who can spare an afternoon a week to help with supplies should contact Kate, the shop manageress. beaver, September 29tli. 1976—Pag-t Three Union news and views COMMITTED TO COMMITTEES ? IT may surprise those LSE students who are aware of this venerable institution's "radical" reputation or Its "labian;* traditions, to discover that students have no representa-ti%'es on any of the School's decision making committees. In this article 1 won't go into the structure of the School's "administrative machine" but a guide can be obtained from the Union offices. However a Klance at the "School Calendar" (look under Committee Members) shows how stacked in favour of the heirarchy are any important committees. ¦What have the students been CCered? In 1968-69 following the great "liberalisation" programme of many Universities the Court of Governors offered the students representation cn a number of School Committees, including the theoretically "governing body" the Court of Governors. Of course, the places offered to the students (who comprise over 80 |)er cent of those at LSE) were such as to make sure they were in a tiny minority on any important committee (e.g. six places on the Court of Governors, which h;is about eighty others). Unfortunately the "generous" offer of this self-appointed body did not end there; as they were to determine both the method of selection and insisted on non-accounta-bility of representatives so that those elected had only a very restricted right of report back to the Students' Union and could not be either removed or mandated by the UGM. The rational behind dictating the method of selection of student members (we can hardly call them representatives) was to "involve students in the process of government" while the other restrictions are based on the view that as "juniors" students cannot be trusted on many important boards, and cannot possibly have any contribution to make and (surprise, surprise) the School is a "Unitary Society" with all its members dedicated to the free pursuit of learning (including the cleaning staff) so that sectional interests such as those of the students should not really exist at all and certainly shouldn't be allowed to reach the hallowed atmosphere of School Committees, all of whose members are not answerable to any one. The School's thinking is most charitiibly seen as facile because it is well knt)wn that in the past students have had disputes with the administration about such basic issues as Union autonomy (in 1972 the School froze our funds), while at present we disagree about how to resist the present Government's plans to carve up education, how to oppose increases in tuition fees etc. Ekjually important but rather more in the long term the Students' Union has ideas about the role of higher education and the position of the LSE in society quite at variance with Ralf Dahrendorf's elitist "Centre of Excellence" (which A peacock-eyed view AS freshers you'll find the Students' Union, particularly its governing body, the Executive, thrust down jour throats. All individuals like to make a personal Impression and a post on the Exec does help you Bo that. A post will also enable you to get a better Itrab at jobs when you are thrown into the big world tiutside. However, it is interesting to see what real Junction the Exec has and how its members justify ?.heir existence (as members) other than in the terms above—which none will admit. First of all the Exec is voted in en masse so the posts ai-e shared rather arbitrarily—God help the ene who gets Graduates this year. Any of the responsibilities can be dodged—ask Mungo Deans who was *esponsible for Publications last year. If you can't tfodge the job (perhaps you've got a conscience), they can catch resignatitis which tends to decimate the Exec ranks after the first term. The Executive should meet regularly but last year only half the meetings took place and these were sparsely attended. Only one person never missed fin Exec meeting. Next, looking at the subjects discussed in these jmeetings, the most discussed subject was the Executive. Then there was the staff, one of whose roles )s helping the Exec, and the Constitution, which again concerns the Exec. True, Union finances were carefully examined, but this was the work of the Senior Treasurer. It would be interesting to find out how much the ex-Exec knows about last year's changes in Union finances. One of the big issues of last year was the Overseas Students' Campaign against discriminatory fees. This grew up outside the Exec who certainly played a very minor role in it. The Executive sees itself as a co-ordinator, an initiator and a controller; it is not any of these. Beneath the Exec is a vast number of students who are capable of spontaneous (e.g. Overseas Students' Campaign) or sustained organisation (e.g. Be.iver). The Exe<; rarely pays a positive contribution to any of these. The Exec exists for itself. I don't mean the hardworking members (especially Welfare) who could do their work as individuals, but the Exec as an institution. Take an Exec election husting; this is close to the reality of the Exec—its personalities, egos, animosities, neuroses; politics in other words. The real functions are usurped—Welfare, Beaver, Ents, and campaigns could be more effectively run without an Executive. PEACOCK UNION MEETINGS THE Union General Meeting (U.G.M.). is the .sovereign body of the Students' Union because it is the collective and democratic focus of the Union. All students, part and full-time, undergraduate and postgraduate, are entitled to attend, present motions and vote. The Committees of Union are dependent on U.G.M. to lormulate the policy to be carried out by them. Unfortunately the operation of U.G.M. can often appear too formal, ritualistic, or haphazard to new members of Union, so that only those "in the know" are able to get their views heard (and may use the process to gain tactical advantages over opponents). The procedures of Union Meetings are laid down in Part Two of the Constitution and Standing Orders, but these are difficult to understand unless you already have a mental picture of U.G.M. At the first U.G.M. you will be given a "Guide to the U.G.M." which tries to explain events, but we should not allow procedures to override purpose. The business dealt withat any ordinary meeting is varied but always includes reports from Union officials and questions to them, followed by motions which determine Union jxilicy. Any two members can submit motions for discussion (ask the General Secretary for advice on how to word motions), while most motions require a simple majority of those fwesent and voting, occasionally a two-third majority is required, for Finance motions and Constitutional amendments. A frequent criticism of U.G.M.s is that they do not reflect the real feelings of L.S.E. students but m fact neither the issues discussed nor the Union's approach to them are pre-ordained for the coming year; the U.G.M. will act as a focus for students only if the mass of students are prepared to be involved in a campaigning Union (which requires both time and effort), otherwise the U.G.M. becomes merely a debating chamber, in which most stu(ients lose interest. It is worth stressing that it is for you to determine the future of your Union, both by the demands you make of it and how you make them, as the Union cannot be any stronger than you are prepared to make it. At the first U.G.M. ask the chairperson to explain anything you do not understand, question the speakers during and after debate, tell the Executive members what you want done and make the "machine" responsive to your needs. in any case hardly accords with most students' experiences). Even more difficult to understand is the notion of "individuals" given that even the most cursory glance at school committees show that an attempt has been made in almost all the committees to obtain some sort of representation based on an academic/administrative and senior junior division with the purely academic committees divided by departments (although as I've said all oligarchically stacked>. Indeed, if students are not representatives why bother to have them at all, or elect them by ballot which takes time and money. The Students' Union takes both a more consistent and I would argue more sophisticated approach to the problem. We argue that the students at LSE all have a right to voice an effective opinion about their work situation, and the only strength they have is collective, so that the UGM is the correct body both to elect and mandate representatives. The Union believes that it is right that in an institution which admits only adults that all members should have the opportunity to make decisions, and not just a small self-appointed elite. Furthermore as a matter of principle the Students' Union maintains that it is entitled to decide for itself how its representatives are elected and how they are to be held responsible for their actions and other parties should not challenge the- students' autonomy on such matters. In closing I would like to suggest that you discuss the matter with your Tutor, and with the Students' Union Executive. The issue will come up for discussion at one of the early UGM's and we must all consider ways to bring the issue to a satisfactory conclusion (we've been waiting nine years). Personally I believe the ACADEMIC Board offers the best chance of success, but it is for the Union to decide (as always by majority decision ). John Cruse S.S.C.S IN spite of the lack of representation on School committees, there is one area of committee work in which the students could have influence if properly organised—Staff-Student Committees. Each academic department should possess one on which staff and students sit to discuss matters arising' within the department both of an academic and social nature. However, the importance of these bodies is controlled largely by the interest the students show in them. Indeed, some have failed to function because it has not been possible to persuade students to take part. This is one which has faced the Statistics Department which now wants students' views as to the creation of a new constitution aimed at attracting greater involvement. With the fact that it is one area in which students can make their views knowri to the School, it becomes crucial that students are aware of their Department's election arrangements to ensure full representation. In general, each committee consists of two representatives from each undergraduate year, a postgraduate and members of the staff. However, there may be exceptions, as for instance the Government Depaitment Committee which is open to all members and which merely elects two students as secretaries, and the Sociology Department which has representatives from both degree courses. Another important contribution which these committees make is to send representatives to the Undergraduate Studies Committee, one School committee on which the Union has taken its places due to parity with stafT, in spite of the fact that elections are on a departmental basis Under the careful management of an efficient Academic Affairs OflBcer this committee can make its collective views known on a wide variety of academic questions and issues, including the Library for which a separate sub-committee has been set up. As With everything else .within the LSE, the effectiveness of these committees depends on participation. So keep looking on the back page of Beaver where the dates of meetings are printed, and become involved. Hardship funds MOST students at L.S.E. experience "problems" with their finances, as the grant gets spread very thinly near the end of each term (and the Government's new regulations on Supplementary Benefits will aggravate the problem), but the Student Hardship Funds are aimed at particular groups who find themselves in a desperate situation. The largest fund is the Overseas Students' FMnd (£4,200), which is available to pay all or part of the registration fees of some foreign students, for those not receiving an award, either from their government or a private firm, can easily find themselves faced with repatriation because registration has lapsed. All those who wish to apply should do so by the third week of term. Because of our system of .charging a fee to all students to join the Students' Union we have a Union Fee Fund (£625) and any student who I is not having the fee paid by a "Grant Body" (such as Icx^al authorities) ' is entitled to apph-. As this fund is being run for the first time please apply as soon as possible. The third Union fund is the Pregnancy Fund, and is intended to help those who become pregnant to have a real choice about their future. Applications to all these funds are treated in the strictest confidcnct and all discussions with applicants are closed meetings. Tlie minutes will not refer to any individual either by name or in any way that could make her him identifiable. Anyone who wants to apply for any of these funds, or would like to , know more about them, or discuss their finances and prospects, should | see either the Senior Treasurer (John Cruse) or the Welfare Officer > (Elana Ehrlich); again all conversations are strictly confidential. j BEAVKR, September 29th. 1976—I'agf 1 our ¥HIE W€MEN'*S IP AGE THE various subtle 'but occasionally very blatant) ways in which sexism infiltrates all areas of our lives is apparent even at LSE. Even in our studies it exists, often tninlv concealed behind a veneer of objectivity in our courses, and lip-service to the "VVoinens Rights" aspect of the Women's Liberation movement. TV.e structure of the institution itself reflects the position of women in society as a whole. A look at tlie "Analysis of Regular and Occasional Students in the School Calendar reveals a marked imbalance in the proportion of male to female students. (.No prizes for guessing which is the higher percentage). Higher up the academic ladder the rungs occupied by women become even fewer. Less than one in five 01 the full-time academic and research staff are women. Thj masculine bias of the structure, and indeed the academic system, is matched by the orientatioii of niiny of the couises. Ideas of the "natural" position and role of women are often assumed in the course content and even more often in the way in which it is conducted. A lecture theatre may seem an unusual environment for the "rugby club" variety ol sexism but it is sometimes indulged in by those academics who seem to feel a need to be "one of the lads". Dr Badc.ck's first-year sociology lectures last year funiislied many examples of this kind of approach, whicn excludes women from participation between lecturer and students and reduce.s our role in the C3urse to that of a butt for the lecturer's particular brand of machismo humour. Women who have encroached too far upon male territory nwv be attacked in a most subjective fashion (supposedly LSE's sin of sins) as "battle-axes" for instances (scholarly analysis of Dame Evelyn Sharp in a first-year Politics and Government lecture'. More ' gentlemanly" tutors often adopt a protective attitude towaids their women students. They may ;iutomac;cally glance at the women present to see if a point has been taken. T'r.e existence of these attitudes Is not atlscted in any real way by the comparative youth of one's j fallow students, especially in the social side of LSE 1 life. It is frustrating, to put it mildly, to be asked, ; "Do you want to dance?" at a hall disco, when you are quite obviously and happily bopping away with a group of people or a female friend. The word "dancing" seems to mean in many male minds a vine-like entwlnement around a member of the opposite sex, preferably making some attempt at a rotating motion. Tlie usual gropers, pesterers and would-be supermen avidly assessing the new year's talent are as much In evidence as at any local dance-hall or commercial disco. This situation is obviously worsened by the male/female ratio. The question of what to do about all this is not an easy one to answer. As women students it Is obviously up to us to challenge Invalid assumptions and attitudes In our courses, but it Is often impossible to force oneself to stand up in front of two hundred or so people and make what some might consider a trivial point. We need to support each other and not act as Individuals In an isolated position. LSE Women's Group has tiled to provide a basis for both support and campaigning activities. As for the social question, apart from confronting sexism from a secure position, which a support group can provide. It' Is essential to have an occasional escape frcm the situations themselves. The social activities of the Women's Group, discos, wine and cheese parties, or just booze-ups down the bar are intended to go at least some way towards fulfilling this need. One example of the success which a campaigning Women's Group can achieve is the existence of the LSE nui-sery. Inadequate it may be, but a nursery nonetheless. It was opened In February 1976 after a struggle by th^ Women's Group and the Union which culminated In an occupation. Anyone wanting Information about the nursery should consult the Union Handbook. The Nursery Action Committee will be continuing to meet and campaign throughout the coming year f jr the improvement of the nursery to bring it more into line with the neods of students and staff. FEMINIST SEMINAR Right to Choose: Choose to Fight A CRUCIAL factor in the struggle for 'r.-.flon is the right of women to cci'.tro; their own fertility. The call i-r tree contraception and aborti.n constitutes one of the Six Demands of the Women's Movement. It Is recognised as es-senti. l to women's social and economic emr.nclpation by elements in both the parliamentary and extra-parli. mentary parties and resolutions supporting it have been p.issod by the TUC. De.'pite this wide ranging support, ;t is a right which has suffered a substantial onslaught during the p." St eighteen months. The importance of social as well as medlc.il grounds for the termination of pregnancy were legally recognised in the 1967 Abortion Act and it is these limited provisions which are gradually being eroded. Despite tlie fall of the James White Amen