MEDICAL SCHOOL

Evening Star, Issue 25770, 17 April 1946, Page 6

MEDICAL SCHOOL

ADMISSION TO CLASSES LIMIT TO SERVICEMEN'S PRIORITY Recommendations which a special committee had made on the admission of second-year students to the Medical School were considered by the Otago University Council yesterday, and some of the recommendations were adopted after a discussion in committee and released for publication. The council emphasised that the decisions did not represent the final word on the question, and it was stated that a special committee of the University Senate was also considering the problem. The following was the committee's order of reference: : —(a) To consider the whole question of tho order of priorities in admission to second-year medical classes and the method of selection, (b) To consider letter from Director of Rehabilitation suggesting that any of the 30 places not used by ex-servicemen in 1946 should be carried over till 1947, also that tho board be permitted to decide which students should be admitted under the ex-ser-vicemen's priority, (c) To report on proposal that the present arrangement of granting preference to graduates be not altered without giving adequate notice, but that not more than 60 per cent, of the total vacancies be allocated to graduates under this priority. The recommendations adopted were as follows: —" That if in any year the number of servicemen admitted is not as great as the, number of places reserved for servicemen, the number of places reserved in a succeeding year be not increased by the number of unallotted places." "That tho council be recommended to inform the Rehabilitation Department that it would welcome information as to the military record of the candidates, but that the council to reserve to itself the unrestricted right of selection of students for admission." " That' the council be recommended to give second preference (after returned servicemen) to graduates up to the end of 1948 i.e., to include students entering the second-year medical classes, in 1949, but that no guarantee of priority will bo given after that date.''