THE NEW ZEALAND UNIVERSITY

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21544, 16 January 1932, Page 5

THE NEW ZEALAND UNIVERSITY

ANNUAL MEETING OF SENATE i'., THIRD DAY'S SESSION The third day’s session of the annual meeting of the Senate of the University of New Zealand yesterday was presided oVer by the chancellor (Professor. J. Macmillan Brown), assisted by the vice-chan-cellor (Professor T. A. Hunter). Mr H. D. Acland joined the senate at this see»iori. • * - < . ATKINSON MEMORIAL PRIZE An award of the Arnold Atkinson Memorial Prize was made to Mr Francis Howard Harris, of the Otago University. The prize is awarded every two years lor an essay, the subject of which is connected •with or has reference to the history, construction or development of the -British Empire, and of its. component parts, and their mutual relations. The subject for the next award will be, u history-- of the relations between pakeha considered as a guide to the solution of problems of the government of native races elsewhere in the Empire.”

WIDENING OF DEGREES In accordance with notice of motion Professor J. Eankme Brown moved—That it is desirable that the statute “honorary (degrees ” he widened so as to make better provision for the recognition of original work of distinction in literature, etc. (e.g., "Kir fVip addition of the words ov to original thought”), and that the matter he referred to the Academic Board tor T6 The mover said that at present the provisions made it very difficult to confer degrees on certain very deserving persons. . . , The motion wa s carried. POST-MATRICULATION WORK

The following motion by Mr Flower was designed to eliminate as much as possible the waste of time and energy occasioned by the present programmes of post-matriculation work: -That the En trance and Academic Boards be asked to investigate and report on the advisability if'allowing candidates from approved secondary schools with adequate laboratory equipment to sit for either inorganic chemistry or physics or both, for the medical and dental intermediate examine*'°The vice-chancellor moved as an amendment the addition of the words- the subjects of inorganic chemistry or physics or both, as prescribed by the intermediate •xaminations ” after the words to sit. The motion as amended was carried.

LEGAL EDUCATION Sir Thomas Sidey submitted the report of the committee set up in respect of the Council of Legal Education. The report eet out the details of the constitution of the council and the procedure to be adopted at meetings. The first meeting was fixed to take place immediately after the passing of the Statute, the time and place to be decided by the vice-chancellor It was also suggested that the annual meeting of the council should he held not later than October 1 in each year. The report was adopted. ,GENERAL COMMITTEE The report of the General Committee yas presented by Mr J. A. Hanan.

BELIEVING NECESSITOUS CASES. The committee recommended that in cases of hardship in respect of fees the Executive Committee should have the power to dispense relief to necessitous cases, whether the cause of such necessity were earthquake loss or any other hardIn reply to a question by Mr T. B. Strong, it was stated that cases of necessity arising out of the economic depression were embraced by the recommendati°n. . , The recommendation was amended to apply to "earthquake and other exceptional cases,” and adopted. ' REDUCING EXAMINATION COSTS. The committee’s recommendation that the question of reducing the number or length of papers, or both, especially with regard to entrance, with the object of affecting a reduction in the cost of examining, be referred to the Entrance Board and to the Academic Board- for consideration and report was adopted. EXAMINEES’ REPORTS.

The committee further recommended in an endeavour to reduce the cost of examinations that reports of entrance examiners be referred to the Executive Committee which should appoint a small sub’committee to decide what portions of these should be printed and circulated. In the case of reports on degree examinations, it was recommended that the reports of English examiners only be printed and circulated after being dealt with in a similar manner.

A great deal of discussion ensued as to the meaning of the recommendations, members of the General Committee having to explain several times that in respect to degree examinations only the reports of English examiners were to be printed. The recommendations were finally referred back to the committee to be redrafted.

ERRORS IN EXAMINATION PAPERS,

The committee recommended that in respect of errors in examination papers set in England information as to cases of inaccuracy should be sent to the university agent in London for the purposes of drawing the attention of Home examiners to mich errors, and also to the resolutions of the senate in respect of local examiners. It was also recommended that senior professors of subjects should be advised of the inaccuracies. The recommendation was approved, ana the Executive Committee was instructed to give effect to the resolution. ACADEMIC BOARD’S REPORT Professor Segar continued his motion for the adoption of the report of the Academic Board. AEGROTAT PASSES. Considerable objection was taken to the suggestion of the Academic Board that the principle of aegrotat passes should be extended to provide for absence tram some approved cause other than illness. It was contended that such a provision would open wide the door to undesirable abuses. It was finally agreed that aegrotat passes could not be awarded unless as a result of absence from an examination through illness. . . An' amendment that in exceptional cases of absence from causes other than illness a special paper should be set under such conditions as the senate deemed fit, was carried.

MATRICULATION AGRICULTURE. The proposal of the board that an amendment should be made to the University entrance statute by the inclusion oi a proviso that “ no candidate shall he credited with a pass in agriculture unless he has also passed in chemistry met with a very mixed reception. . Mr L. J. Wild stressed the unfairness of such a proposal to hundreds of country candidates attending rural hjg.) schools where agriculture was an important and general subject and was

taken purely for matriculation.. The requirement of a pass in chemistry constituted a demand on such schools which they were not in ajposition to meet at the present time. He thought that the senate should not pass the resolution in its existing form. It was an unfair restriction to place on all students who were taking agriculture, hundreds of whom would probably never go on to the University. , ~ , , After several speakers had supported Mr Wild, the vice-chancellor moved that the matter be referred back to the Academic Board and the Entrance Board with a view to ascertaining whether the purpose of the clause could not be met by making chemistry essential for those candidates proposing to enter the University. The amendment’was carried. AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH.

In respect of the Macmillan Brown Agricultural Research Scholarship, the following amendments to the Statute were approved:— , , The scholarship shall be awarded only to a graduate who has qualified for honours in agriculture, provided that in any year in which there is no suitable applicant who has qualified for honours in agriculture the scholarship may be awarded to a graduate with honours in another faculty in order that he may undertake research work in some problem bearing on agriculture. The scholarship shall be awarded by the senate after consideration of reports from the Professorial Boards on the qualifications of- candidates from their respective colleges and after consideration of reports from the Professorial Boards of the two colleges of agriculture concerning the relative qualifications of all the candidates. EMILY JOHNSTON SCOLARSHIPS. In respect of the Emily Johnston scholarships for research in the science and art of clinical medicine the funds for which are provided by the income from a bequest of £IO,OOO by Emily Lilias Johnston to the University for “ the establishment and maintenance for all time of a scholarship or scholarships in connection with research to be carried on in New Zealand in the science and art of clinical medicine,” the senate approved the regulations as submitted by the Academic Board and authorised the Executive Committee to bring them into force. DIPLOMA OF JOURNALISM.

On the recommendation of the board the senate repeated the Statute of the diploma of journalism and _ enacted in lieu of it a new statute defining the subjects of examination afresh. A candidate will now be required to pass in seven subjects out of 17 outlined, tineluding ns compulsory subjects the practice of journalism, principles of journalism and English. Terras will no longer be required in addition to matriculation. The vice-chancellor explained that nn more than three subjects secured in another examination could be used for the diploma. Holders of B.A. degrees bad found that by passing in journalism they could secure a diploma. The diploma, however, was intended for those engaged in journalistic work, and not for anyone with half a dozen subjects to his credit. B AGR. SC. DEGREE. A lengthy revision and amendment of the Statute of the bachelor of agricultural science was approved. The vice-chancellor explained that the amendments were the result of a conference between the two agriculture colleges. Representatives of each college had drafted the new Statute in a form more suitable to them than the old one. The alteration had the effect of simplifying the course, which had hitherto. been complicated bv a large number of options. Ho thought that as the agricultural colleges were satisfied with the new Statute the Senate should pass it.

DIPLOMA IN MUSIC. The board submitted a Bill to . enact a new statute—Diploma in_ Music, in which was set out the subjects o£ examination necessary for a diploma. A candidate will be required to pass in only two of the three sections prescribed for the degree of bachelor of music. The fee for the diploma of music is fixed by the statute at five guineas. The new statute was enacted. HABEUS PEIZE.

The Habeus Prize, awarded for an essay on some subject connected with the science of education was awarded to Eric K. Cook, of Canterbury College. The subject dealt with, “An analysis of some factors contributing to the present dearth of origiiu New Zealand, with special reference to the education system. SCHLICH MEMORIAL PRIZE The Standing Committee of the Academic Board recommended that the Schlich memorial prize in forestry be accepted, and suggested that the prize should be of the value of not more than £3 annually; that it should be of books or instruments suitably inscribed; that it should be open to candidates proceeding to the degree of bachelor of forestry science; and that it should be awarded to the candidate securing the highest aggregate marks anl passing in all the subjects of the third professional examination of the degree of B. For. Sc. in one year. Professor Raukine Brown explained that the recommendation was the outcome of the offer of a small prize iu memory of the late Dr Schlich, who was a distinguished arboriculturist, especially on the economic side. The recommendation was adopted. MEDICAL SCHOOL STAFF

Professor Hunter said that he had received a letter from the dean of the medical faculty (Sir Lindo Ferguson) with regard to a difficulty that had arisen in connection with the Middlesex Hospital scheme. Under this scheme, an approved student from the Medical School was, from time to time, enabled to carry out research work in the institutions under, the control of the hospital, thus giving experience which would prove invaluable on his return to take up teaching work in the Medical School. In past years the hospital, in addition to providing facilities for research, had also contributed £l5O per annum towards a student’s living expenses, but Sir Lindo Ferguson had now received a letter from the hospital authorities intimating that whilst they would still be willing to receive students nominated by the faculty, they would not, after this year, be able to give any financial assistance. Sir Lindo asked if the senate could not suggest some method that would assure, when a student was nominated, that his expenses would be paid. Professor Hunter pointed out'that unless something were done immediately, there would be no opportunity of dealing with the matter until the next meeting of the senate, with the result that the chance of securing the benefits of the scheme might be lost. He suggested that the senate might, on the advice of the medical faculty, use the funds allocated for the travelling medical scholarship on such occasion as it might be thought necessary to send a student to the Middlesex Hospital. The hospital’s offer provided an opportunity that should not be missed, in the interests of the teaching staff of the Medical School. It was decided that the matter be referred to the Executive Committee with power to advise the medical faculty of the recommendation it will make to the senate. NEXT ANNUAL. MEETING It was decided that the next annual meeting of the senate should be opened at Wellington on January 17, 1933.