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SMAD. An Organ of Student Opinion. 1935. Volume 6. Number 7.

As Others See Us. — Report From O.U

page 3

As Others See Us.
Report From O.U.

Tournament is the only time of the year when there is the opportunity to get some impressions of other colleges at first hand. One hears things, of course, and sees stray productions which give some indication of what they think and how they think it elsewhere: but actual contact is required to give vitality to any ideas one may formulate. Certainly, distortion is almost inevitable when things seen, so to speak, through a telescope are added to things seen through a glass—dizzily, even if face to face—and the miscellaneous collection is disentangled and rearranged to form some sort or pattern; but this is the only means there is of widening one's conception of a New Zealand University to include other colleges as well as one's own. But it seems only fair to submit the finished picture of Victoria for criticism by the objects of our scrutiny. After all, it may be unduly flattering.

Victoria College does not seem to take the same place in Wellington as Otago University does in Dunedin. Partly this is due to keener competition, partly to internal causes. Competition in Dunedin is, one must admit, very slight nowadays, but the centring in Wellington of so many business interests and so many Government and legal activities changes the balance completely. These are external causes. But there are also, it seems, internal reasons in addition to the smaller numbers. There is not the same proportion of full-time students as in Otago. Here there are hundreds of people concerned only with University life, with no serious interests outside it and considering themselves only as University students. The part-time student must inevitably have divided and multiple loyalties, and the University therefore tends to become one incident in his daily routine and to sink to the level of importance of the other organisations which have claims on his time.

Turning to consider Victoria apart from its environment, the most striking thing appears to be the state of comparative intellectual activity. We realise, of course, that two men speaking at three meetings a week could give this impression at long range, but there does actually appear to be fairly intense and widespread interest in intellectual and political questions and exercises. The place of debating in Victoria is, of course, the outstanding instance, and leads us to fancy that while here there may be a few outstanding speakers, in enthusiasm, average standard, interest of debates and conduct of meetings we finish well down. And then there is this anti-war stuff. Pacifists we have, but they keep themselves to themselves (usually by request) and burst out only at intervals. Interest in politics, noticeably and perhaps happily lacking here, is only natural in a college compassed about with so great a crowd of politicians and able to see at their worst men who are only names in the far south. Of the more aesthetic forms of intellectuality there is less evidence.

We pass by a natural transition to speak of the power of the Press. "Smad," viewed in perspective, gives an impression of great potentialities limited by poor support, both moral and financial, from an uninstructed executive. Enthusiasm and talent appear to be all present and correct, and if the Victorian executive does not yet realise what an asset a well-run newspaper can be to itself and to Victoria as a whole, it is to be hoped its awakening will not be delayed till the enthusiasm has evaporated and the talent languished or been diverted to baser uses.

To turn to the other side for a moment, however, it is possible that "Smad" at times refers to the Executive in a manner calculated to be unduly wounding, even if the allegations were true.

Sport we fail to refer to, except to proclaim our undying admiration for a good loser and so we come to social life and entertainment value generally. Here we got a faint impression that at Victoria they tend to take their pleasures either seriously or alcoholically, but there may be nothing in that. We lay no weight on u, and it is probably all wrong. The Haeremai Club we judge to be an acquisition.

One omission rather surprises us—we hear very little of women in the University. And from what we saw of them they were very nice and intelligent.

—Celeste.