UNIVERSITY DEGREES.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 97, 26 April 1928, Page 6

UNIVERSITY DEGREES.

Poor Country Student," who contributed a letter on this subject in Friday's "Star," shows in his letter an inability to appreciate tho true purpose of a university. It was 1 ecently unanimously decided by the Academic Board that it was desirable that a distinction should be made between degrees granted to internal students and de grees granted to students who have never attended lectures at I Diversity College at all. In arriving at this decision the board doubtless considered that the standard of the degree had to bo the first consideration and felt that it was better that the standard should be raised, even at the risk of some hardship to country students, than that (he status of the degree should be allowed to drop lower and lower through to<» much consideration being given to such exceptional cases as thnse whose fate Poor Country Student"' deplores in his letter. Members of the University have long been pondering over the wisdom of granting a fnll degree to extra-mural students. It is (to our shame be it said) possible in New Zealand fr>r a country student to he granted a full degree when he has never in his life set eyes on a university professor or lecturer, nor once stood within the four walls of a university colleg?. The principle of "equal opportunity for all' has rightly been considered in this country to be an essential part of the basis of our society, and it has been by no means ignored by our University authorities; but there comes a point in the application of every principle where other conflicting principles, jnst as right and equitable, must al ? o be considered. If the principle of "equal opportunity for sll" is the only one to be considered in the granting of degrees, then the present svstem is excel* "lent. But to t hose who think that the university decree should siiinifv something more than the mere passing of an examination, the present state of affair?- appears a sorry one. I am not. I hope, the only member of the University who hope.- that some day not far distant the status of our degree may be • raised so as to indicate some cultural achievement more than the mere passing of *• examination, and the tir*t step in this dirertw® must, be a differentiation between the extra- ; mural degree and the internal degree, which *« any rate involves an attendance at lectures^ (.RADUATE.