CAPPING AND CONDUCT.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1031, 21 January 1911, Page 7

CAPPING AND CONDUCT.

UNRULY STUDENTS. SEVERE REMARKS BY SIR R, STOUT.' A MERCIFUL SENATE. (By Telegraph—Press Association.) Ghristchurch, January 20. ■ At the University Senate this morn« ing, the question of'unseemly conduct' at capping ceremonies was discussed at 'length. - Mr. James Allen, M.P.,. moved that it was not advisablo to put into opera- ■ tion this year the minute suspending the conferring of degrees for one year afc ft centre where there lias' been a disturbance. Ho referred to Dunedin. ' University, where there had been ' tiouble, and said that the authorities the're" were going very fulfy into. the. ' mattpr of discipline, and, owing to' present feeling, it would be unwise to bring power into operation. Ho >vas certain that there should be a. capping coremony, and if the senate did not have tho ccremony under its immediate care tho students would hold' a ceremony. That was undignified. Professor Macmillaif Brown: Is thepresent ceremony dignified? The motion was seconded by the Rev. A. Cameron, who said that tho, trouble seemed to be that no one knew' who was in authority. Professor Macmillan Brown said that by passing the niotion, the senate would. : show students that it did not mean to-carry out what it threatened. H would not conduce to better disciplinary measures if tho senate became apologetic. , . ' : The Hon. J. A. Tele said that without an assurance from Otago, that tiiero would be no recurrence of unseemly - scenes, tho senate, should not pass the motion. The' Rev. A. Cameron said that the Professorial Board in Otago did not: know, that the matter would como up in the senate, and had prepared 110 th-: ing to put before it. Mr. Von Haasli said tliat tho excuses of the Rev. A. Cameron were like that of the boy who pleaded he did not know tho offence was forewarned. Students had run amok in the girls' schools. -. ■ Cries of: "No!". The Chancellor: Some of the students ' wont into tile -Girls' School - in their regalia. Their conduct all through was - disgraceful. . Professor Shand (Otago) said that there - had beon very grave doubt in his mind whether the Professorial Boaru . had any authority at the ceremony. It was a university gathering, and»-the professors wjere merely there as invited' guests. They could not interfere. . The chancellor said that the ceremony, for tho whole colony, had .previously been suspended because the conduct wa's a disgrace to any civilised, community. Tho question wne whether the law passed was to bo carried out. What was the use' of making disciplinary - measures and then not carrying theni' : out? The Otago ceremony was the worst in tho whole history "of the : colony,. The' students took charge -ofj tho meeting, and-went to-the girls', , schools outside. All- that was .'done un-." dor the guiso of their being university students, and what sort of effect could it have on the public? The offencewas punishable under the siatutelaw.of tie country, ■ and it was unbearable. He '' was sorry that such a thing had to be done, for if he had any feeling for a, 'college it was for .Otago, where he was ;a'student. But the senate should do l i£s .duty. If the "itii'dents li'ad !not a better spirit; the capping ceremonies; should be abolished altogether. Suchi functions were the only way of showing i . the public .how the universities were' conducted. He gave instances-of cap-i. ping ceremonies in Europe, wliere there! were no disturbances. Sir G. JL' O'Rorke said that the gov-: erning body and Professorial Board of;' each college wore bound to co-operate . in the maintenance of. order-.-with the ' university authorities. Dr. Jl'Dowell made an appeal oa behalf of the Otago students, urging-, that tliey should be "treated with mercy." "They would see that tho sen- ,- ate had received their lapse with severity. . '• ..v Mr; Allen replied,."and on a division;,; the motion was carried by 13 to 9. Mr. Allen then moved that the senate should invito the council of each college or, university to take control of the.-V discipline of the.capping cercmqny. j . Tho motion was seconded by Dr.i Chilton. Professor Macmillan Brown moved, as an amendment, that the control should' . be left entirely to each "college, aiid-. that the motion should bo altered by the changing of tlio.word "invite" to " "leave." . Mr. Allen 'agreed to further alter the motion to make the councils take charge of the preliminary arrangements for the ceremonies. On -a vote being taken, ProfessorMacmillan Brown's amendment was lost, and the motion was carried by , 13 votes -to 9. " A motion by-Mr. Von Haast that the capping ceremonies should- be discon- . tinned was withdrawn.