TO "ACT AS POLICEMEN."

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1106, 20 April 1911, Page 5

TO "ACT AS POLICEMEN."

PROFESSORS AT THE CAPPING CEREMONY.

. Tne Victoria College Council is' determined to prevent, by some means or other, a recurrence of the noisy saturnalia which have characterised the proceedings at flapping ceremonies in the ■past. . At the meeting of the council last evening, & communication was received from the- Senate of the University conveying an invitation to the council lo make preliminary arrangements for and . take_ control of the discipline of tho capping ceremony. The suggestion was agreed to, the -chairman-: of 'the cotmtil and the. chairman of the Professorial Board to confer as to the necessary arrangements. •■■■•.-.■ The chairman (Mr. H. F. von Haast) explained■ that-'the-' control , of these'fnnc-'j tons had in the past been .rather divided. Ihe professors had hot definite authority! vested in them, and usually regarded I themselves as being -in -the position of j guests. The idea now was to prepare! some new scheme of control, under which the professors would be armed with the necessary authority to maintain discipline—to 'act as policemen," so to speak, and see that order was preserved. The suggestion was that a committee of the council should confer with the Professorial Board, and report to the next meeting of itie council. In reply to a question by Mr. E. D. Bell, the chairman explained that the senate . had. discussed the matter at its I? • ™eennj», and on the initiative of the Chancellor (Sir Robert Stout) had decided to enforce a resolution which liad been adopted some years ago. It was quite possible, hazarded the speaker, that Sir Robert Stout would not be present at the next capping ceremony. The. suggestion was agreed to.