Fire alarm

This was not the only expression of student dissatisfaction. During the ceremony itself, to which only one student was invited (association president John McGrath), the building fire alarm began to ring. Minutes later the sound of two fire engines racing up the hill from the city could be heard.

In spite of an assurance that the alarm was a false one, firemen searched each floor of the building. A student who claimed to have released the alarm later expressed regret through the Evening Post that it had rung during the presentation of Mr. Miller's degree. The ceremony had continued without interruption.

The students responsible for the protest issued a statement to the press setting out their reasons for their action.

They objected to the award because of its political implications and inappropriate timing, because the grounds on which the award was made did not merit academic distinction, and because of the university's apparent unwillingness to publicise the decision to grant it.