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Salient. An Organ of Student Opinion at Victoria College, Wellington, N.Z. Vol. 17, No. 2. March 11, 1953
Sports News — Faculty Clubs — An Open Letter to all Students
Sports News
Faculty Clubs
An Open Letter to all Students
I advocate the inauguration at Vic. of Faculty Clubs with activities similar to those of the existing Law Faculty Club, the Accountants' Students Society and also the inter-School functions of the Medical Engineering and other Schools at Otago University. The development of corporate spirit through the medium of Faculty Clubs or Fraternities is a feature of most universities throughout the world and particularly in the inter-College rivalry at Oxford and Cambridge and the highly interesting goings-on in American Phi Beta Kappa Cosmetic Atom etc. fraternities and sororities even unto the swapping of intimate underwear (so it is reported)—but, regrettably, there is nothing comparable at Victoria.
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The Law-Faculty Club holds monthly luncheons in the Jocabean Room at Kirks., at which a speaker of some notoriety (?) in the legal world speaks on a subject of interest to students, up to 80 attending. Other opportunities for social intercourse occur at the Inter-Varsity Tournament "Moot." at "Stein" evenings, the Annual Law Ball (a very social occasion—you really must get him to ask you, my dear) and an Annual Law Dinner. Small wonder is it that law students are among the active minority around the college—they have that little something.
On a slightly lower plane, the Accountants Students Society has a debating group participating in the inter-club contest, lunchtime and evening lectures and discussion sections and also holds trial examinations shortly before finals each year.
At Otago University faculty activities are seen at their best and are most popular. Debating, sports and drinking contests are carried on with great abandon—with the usual results to dryness, athletics foot and delirium tremens.
Such fraternities would provide some answer to the "couldn't care less" attitude which has become so prevalent at Vic. in recent years. They could cater for the full-timers who flit from lecteures to pracs. then from the library to the cafe finally plodding home at 5 p.m. completely oblivious of what goes on at night at Victoria. Some, I am told, are almost inanimate, biologically speaking! The dull grey mass of part timers which takes over at 5 p.m. and slowly ebbs away to drowsy fires and hated textbooks would find a new interest in attending a luncheon talk by some interesting specimen.
It may be argued that there are already clubs within the Faculties such as the Political Science Society. Literary Society and Biological Society performing some of the suggested functions, but I believe they are fairly weak and have small memberships. In any case club enthusiasm is not enough. Faculty enthusiasm is the sine qua non which I believe is necessary for this college to go ahead. More spirit of all kinds is required.
Once upon a time Victoria hud the best record of any university in New Zealand producing many fine scholars and debaters and winnings Tournaments for years on end. But for the past 15 years and more this college has been waiting in the doldrums for new life. (Do you realise that we last won a Tournament in 1938?)
Oxford University is renowned for its fine scholars and athletes and for its very pleasant college life. We have the first but not the remaining two at present. Why shouldn't we? The writer Intends to revive the Haeremai Club to arrange to enliven official college functions with occasional sorties into the town but more than this is needed Let our motto be strength through Joy and may the spirits be with us.
—P. D. Chatwin.