UNIVERSITY CLASSES

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 639, 16 April 1929, Page 7

UNIVERSITY CLASSES

DAY OR EVENING? NO CHANGE AT PRESENT That hardy annual, the question of day versus night lectures, again received the consideration of the council of the Auckland University College at its monthly meeting yesterday. The question was introduced following the receipt of a report from the Dean of the Auckland College’s Faculty of Arts, Professor C. W. Egerton, M.A., submitting a report from the chairman of the professorial board of the Victoria University College, Professor J. Rankine Brown, on the scheme of alternative day and nig’ht classes in arts at present in use in Wellington. The Wellington letter set out in full the working of the scheme, but stated that a sound verdict on the system j could not yet be given owing to in- j sufficient experience. Commenting on the Wellington let-■ ter, Professor Egerton’s report stated j that on the adoption of the new system the enrolments at Victoria College fell by more than 10 per cent. The corresponding loss of income in Auckland would represent more than £I,OOO a year. Further, in some subjects the usual lecture-rooms at Victoria College have j been found Inadequate during the cur- j reney of the night syllabus. Auck- J land might And it impossible to ac- j commodate its larger classes during the currency of the night syllabus. Professor Egerton could not see any j advantages in the new system to j counterbalance the disadvantages! named by him. When the president, Sir George ] Fowids, moved that no further action j he taken at present, Professor F. P. i Worley, M.A., D.Se., said he thought j that the matter should not be left -en- ! tirely alone. It was still being con- ! sidered by the Professorial Board, he j said, when venturing the opinion that | a solution would be found when the ! college had enough assistants to duplicate all the classes. “Until day I classes are run we will not get the > proper university spirit in this col- j lege.” stated Professor Worley. Sir George Fowids: “If the Profes- \ sorial Board has any inspiration in the i matter it can pass it on to us.” SCOTTISH EXAMPLE The Rev. Dr. Harry Ranston. M.A., Litt.D., said that there was always the danger that bit by bit the system would become one which would defeat the attempts of some people to get an education. He thought that the ideal system would be one in which at least part of the courses would he taken full time. Mr. Kenneth Mackenzie, M.D., j thought that the New Zealand student ; was not willing to live as economically as thestudent of the Scottish Universities in order to satisfy his desire' for education. Professor Worley: “Many of the attendants at night classes go to work because the classes are held at night.” The da3 r science classes which could

not be held at night were becoming larger and larger, he said. Sir George Fowids said the American and Canadian system of holding ■ only two sessions each year, with a very long vacation, was probably the ideal. It had been adopted at the Massey Agricultural College, but there was little hope of getting it at Auckland unless the college became a separate university. The present New Zealand University examinations took up so much time at the end of the year that it could scarcely be worked. A further suggestion by Professor Worley that the fees for night classes be higher than those for day classes did not meet with general approval. After further discussion it was decided to take no action for the present, although keeping the matter steadily in view.