UNOFFICIAL CAPPING CEREMONY IS HELD IN AUCKLAND.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 18182, 15 June 1927, Page 1

UNOFFICIAL CAPPING CEREMONY IS HELD IN AUCKLAND.

(Special to the “ Star.”) AUCKLAND, June 15. “We feel that some explanation is due for our appearance here to-night. Our action in holding an unofficial capping ceremony is not in a spirit of defiance, but rather because it is due to the year’s graduates to have some honour shown them.” So said Mr D. H. Steen, president of the Auckland University Students’ Association, at a crowded Town Hall gathering last night in aid of the City Mission, for which £IOO was raised. “ The new University Act has made no provision for publicly conferring degrees and the most this college’s authorities could have done was a ceremony such as this,” said Mr Steen. “It almost seems that the new Act aims at the elimination of all those little formalities which mean so much to Varsity life, and is tending to make the Varsity merely a machinery for educating and conferring degrees by post upon students who need not even attend lectures. Such action is going far past Varsity ideals and our own College Council has acted very drastically in refusing to honour its graduates “It was publicly stated that this was done as punishment of the misbehaviour of its students in public, but the depriving of the capping ceremony from 100 graduates, not one of whom had any part in the action condemned, seems harsh retribution. Indeed, every effort had been made to appre i hend those responsible for the disturb I ance at the students’ debate at Easter, but without success.” J