UNIVERSITY SENATE

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18464, 27 January 1922, Page 8

UNIVERSITY SENATE

ENTRANCE EXAMINATIONS. CONFERENCE TO BE SET UP. QUESTION OF INCREASED FEES. (Per United Press Association.) AUCKLAND, January 26. The Entrance Examinations Committee /stated that it endorsed the opinion of the Board of Studies with regard to the urgency of a oonfcionce on entrance examinations, and recommended that the constitution of dho conference consist of the Minister of Education, the Chancellor of the University, .and two other representatives from each of the following;:—The Senate, tlfo Board of Studies (one representative to bo the chairman), the Education Department, the head, masters of secondary .schools for hoys, the head mistresses of secondary schools for girls, and the Association, of Non-dopart-inenuil Secondary Schools. The committee also recommended the adoption of the resolution of the Board of Studies that the Education Department be asked to make, arrangeimcnts for and to defray the expenses of the conference; also that thequestion of the institution of a BoartJ of Moderators of the, examination papers ' for entrance to the university be referred to this conference.” ' Professor Thompson, in presenting (he report, said it was fplt that the work of 'Such a conference would bo very valuable. 1 The' Chancellor said it wag an to get rid iof the matriculation examination altogether. He 1 did not soo the need for the conference.'

’.Die rccomfncndation was adopted. •A recommendation from the Board of Studies that Professorial Boards should have tho power of granting provisional inatricu.lation to students over 30 years of/.age under the same conditions as formerly applied to returned soldiers,' was adopted by J. 6 votes to 8. .

A recommendation strongly opposing the establishment of a court of appeal for matriculation candidates who have failed, as advocated by the Secondary Schools’ ‘ Association, was .adopted. The committee appointed by the Senate last year to report on the. examinations in medicine, with special reference to practical examinations and preparations therefor, recommended that tha supervisors and attendants should bo paid by the university, and that tp meet such payments fees should be increased. "• . . The report was adopted, and the fees for examinations in medicine and for the Diploma of Public Health wore increased by £1 Is in six instances and £2 2s in two. The ■ general question of an increase m iwuivcrsiity fees was brought before the Senate by the committee, Dr Oollins stating that tho whole standard of fees was much lower than in other universities.—The matter was referred to the Statutes Committee. Considerable discussion took place on the recommendation of the Board of Studies that “a candidate in two languages as half subjects, who has presented these two languages at advanced grade as part of his B.A. examination, and only two other subjects at pass grade, must pass in an additional subject at pass grade before or at the same time as he presents himself for the honours examination.” —Tho recommendation was defeated by 13 votes to 1. The Science, Agriculture, and Forestry Committee recommendedthat before any other steps arc taken by the office toward the appointment of examiners of the thesis for the doctorate, tho opinions of the teachers of the subject bo first obtained, and that it is desirable in the case of subjects dealing with local problems to have two examiners—one a Now Zealand scientist., and the other an authority on the subject belonging to, a university other thanthat of New Zealand.—The recommendation was adopted. The Engineering Committee stated that having perused the reports ' forwarded by Messrs Edgar C. Gough and R. J. Beokley, 'the holders of the Engineering Travelling Scholarships, it was satisfied they were fqlfilling the conditions of the scholarships, and agreed with ■ tho statement made by Scott, Director of the School ot Engineering, that" both reports were satisfactory. The committee was especially pleased with tho very full report of the work sent forward by Mr Beckley. A letter was received from the Auckland University College Council asking that the Engineering Department of the College be recognised as a School of Engineering.— Mr G. Fowlds gave notice of motion “chat the request be granted.” The Bank Officers’. Guild,/.■vrill bp--naked to furnish a panel of . sultciile texaihlnera in certain subjects for Diploma in Banking, and the Wellington; Recess Committee has been given power to appoint the examiners for 1922 from the panel. The Senate recorded its high appreciation pf the service® rendered to education, especially university education, by the Rev. W. A. Evans, who was for many years a Fellow of .the .University and was for some years, treasurer. ' It* also expressed - its „sense of the loos ''sustained ’by the death -.of Dr .-Ohamptaloup.v Professor J. A. Johnson (Hobart) and Professor A. Mackie (Sydney) were appointed, examiners for, the . Diploma in Education.

/The proposal that the Matriculation > examination bo known in future as the' U niversity Preliminary Examination/ was made by the Calendar Committee, it being stated that the object was to avoid confusion, between passing the examination and matriculating when entering the University. The Chancellor opposed the suggestion on the ground of the expense of altering the Calendar. He said it was time students knew what Matriculation meant. If they did not, they ought to learn it. —The recommendation was withdrawn. '