SIR ROBERT STOUT AND UNIVERSITY REFORM.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1654, 22 January 1913, Page 8

SIR ROBERT STOUT AND UNIVERSITY REFORM.

Si'.—Sir Robert .Stout'in;,his address.' as. Chancellor, points put thai: tho recent Professorial Conference was anything but reprp«*ntative. As a'matter'if fact, he scarcely does justice to the "absurdity" of ffee representation,.of the faculties on .thnt occasion.. He points out that .every, delegate-' in Arts represented 137 students, while everv delegate in Rci-ince (mnthe-. matics, included), represented 58 student'. According to a report made to the Government ' recently by the, Inspector-Gene-ral, there were-' in the four 'university colleges altogether:—' : . .. ■' ' , ''■ ■ . 72 students in Science.255 students in Commerce.', 27.1 students in Law. , 62t. students in Arts..

.Yf.h'in the Professorial Conference twelve delegates represented .Science (exclusive of mathematics), 4 represented mathemat.ic=s (which will lie extinct as an Art subject in Victoria College, if notvin all the collets' in. a year or two), and 14'rop/e----sinted Arte, with 9 students to every one in. Sconce! Law. with nearly i stu- . dents to every one in Science, had no representative, at all! and Commerce,-''with' 3£ students to .every one in Science, had' no representative at (ill! • This is what somo people call "instalment" of universitv reform!. ' ..' ■ . ■ •

When are authorities of'- the Middle District (university) going to realise that the troubles of Victoria 'College are duo to its carrying a - white elephant in the shape of .a Science faculty—-which entails more than half the expanse incurred by the college; nnd .so far. only about 'J ner cent, of tho students of the college are students of Science. Viotbria College has got .12 graduates in Science in 14 years! Yet the Science faculty costs the .Dominion more than nil the other! Victoria College faculties takon together!. The 'ooncr tho powers that be realise that one Science faculty would be ample for the whole Dominion the .better. Is it a wonder.that a conference with 12 delegates representing 72 bona-fido students of Science would declare for; the ■ abolition of the B.Ss; degree—a good way of covering up the nakedness of Science as a graduating subject.—l . am., etc., . ' . REFORM THE REFORMER.