.jpg)
SMAD. An Organ of Student Opinion. 1935. Volume 6. Number 16.
News From Other Universities
News From Other Universities.
Moscow Summer School.
"In the summer of 1933 a group of young American went to Russia to organise an institution for summer study in the Soviet Union. The summer session has since become an integral part of the Moscow State University, and in 1934 the Anglo-American section had over 200 students, from Canada, England, the United States, Mexico Latin American, Scandinavia, and the Far East. This year provision is being made for 500 students from U.S.A. and Canada alone.
All instruction is given in English by a Soviet faculty of professors and specialist, and prominent Soviet leaders address the school from time to time. The State University of Moscow certifies academic credit to foreign students meeting the requirements of the university and completing a course of study in the Anglo-American section. Courses offered for 1935 include; Arts in the U.S.S.R, literature of Russia and the Soviet Union, and philosophy of dialectical materialism. Students are allowed to enrol in three of the possible dozen courses, which constitute 90 classroom hours in a period of six weeks.
Outside the classroom the living conditions of the student at the summer sessions are designed to proximate those of the typical Soviet student. With this in view, the dormitory type of accommodation is provided. Russian students are extremely friendly and eager to fraternise; acquaintances spring up readily.
—"Honi Soit" (Sydney).
This "Farrago" Business.
During the year "Smad's" efforts to start an exchange with "Farrago" proved unsuccessful. This extract from "Proletariat" explains the reason.
"This year 'Farrago' has been, to all intents and purposes, non-existent. Two negligible issues have appeared in the eleven-week term (excluding the pre-term Freshers' 'Farrago'). . . The Labour Club pointed out in 'Student Affairs' that a situation had been reached in which students were entitled to demand from the union an account of the money said by the, part of which was supposed to provide a weekly 'Farrago.' It became obvious almost at once that the Labour Club was voicing the opinion of the majority of students.
"On May 14 an open Forum was held, at which the strength of the student feeing became apparent. Then the Students' Representative Council called a general meeting of students to discuss the question. . . the meeting forced the election of a student committee of four to investigate the situation. . . This committee has, we understand, investigated the union's finances and has made certain recommendations. . . . One suggestion is that a plebiscite should be held on the desirability of 'Farrago' continuing to exist,"
—"Proletariat" (Melbourne).
The following comments on the Bledisloe Medal Contest are an extract from the Otago "Critic's" interview with a judge or judges unnamed. We acknowledge the graceful compliment of the heading:
Victoria Victrix.
"The general standard," he said, "was very high indeed, but there were on or two common faults. Miss Forde was the only competitor to make any effective use of gesture. Most of the male speakers did not seem fully to realise the distinction between oratory and debating. The subjects were in some cases too wide in scope, demanding a considerable amount of narrative or explanation. Though diction and pronunciation were on the whole very good, there were some surprising mispronunciations,"
"And what of individual speakers?" I asked.
"I would mention Mr. Hart and Mr. More for their subject-matter. Mr. Bennett for his vigour and conviction, Miss Cahill for her dramatic and emotional intensity."
"And Miss Forde?"
"Mis Forde, I should think," he replied, "was awarded the medal for her oratory."
Fitzgerald.
The applause which Miss Forde (V.U.C.) received at the conclusion of her oration was some indication of the effect she produced on her audience. The introduction, again, was much of a recitation, but in her treatment of her subject she showed a technical skill and oratorical power which seemed to indicate that she was sure both of the effect she wished to produce and of the means of producing it. She made excellent use of a very sympathetic voice, and her treatment of recurring phrases was most effective. The greatest advantage over the previous competitors was that she was able both to use her hands very expressively and to dispose of them when not in use.
Miss Souter (V.U.C.) was almost as unfortunate in speaking last as Mr. Hart had been in speaking first. She was perhaps almost too familiar with her subject and found it had in places to avoid appearing to deliver a recitation. Her emotional ending was, however excellently delivered, and he turned to me with an interested gleam in his eye. "I suppose you realise," he enquired, "that we have just heard the only attempt at humour of the entire evening?"