Capping Week toilets stunt

Tim Benton

As a stunt for Capping Week (I think it was, or Fresher's Week), a small group of us created and posted official-looking notices around the library and on all the noticeboards advising that, with immediate effect, all toilets had been de-segregated.

Our prank caught the eye of the dear old Evening Post and elicited public comment and condemnation from a number of luminaries, including the then-head of a well-known local private boys school.

Staying warm in the old library

Colin Mackinnon

The afternoon sun coming through the colourful stained glass windows of the Library when it was in the Hunter Building. It was the warmest place to be on cold winter days. I was completing my Chartered Accountancy qualifications with BCom units.

Wellington under water in fossil finds

Raymond Goldie

• Geology field school in the Wairarapa: seeing fossils, in situ, that made me realise that, not so long ago, the Wellington area was under the sea, whose waters were warmer than those today.
• Geology field trip to Red Rocks: Prof Lauder demonstrating that basaltic lava once flowed on the Makara coast.
• Geology III class: Professor Wellman assuring us that the world would soon learn that continents moved.
• Geology I class: Professor Clark recounting his descent onto Whaka'ari by parachute.

Weeping over James K. Baxter

Paul Barker

I took a ridiculous number of literature credits in my English Language and Literature Bachelor's degree. So many of the English Department faculty stick in my memory. I recall how Fr. Frank McKay, lecturer in NZ Literature and biographer of James K. Baxter, would weep when talking about New Zealand's great poet.

Relying on a rat’s sense of direction to pass Psychology stage 3

Rosemary Cole

My fondest student memory is when my not-so-smart lab rat finally ran through the maze. I had despaired that this Psychology stage 3 experiment would never be completed. Also, I’d be a perpetual student due to that rat having directionality issues! At long last, that rat and I successfully completed that experimental maze and I felt we’d both passed Psychology stage 3!

The silence of the old Hunter Building library

Rose Newell

Studying in the old Hunter Building library! Walking up the hallway surrounded by all that mellow, golden brown panelling into the equally mellow, wooden library! The long wooden table down the centre of that long room lined on both sides with silent students, heads down, studying—the silence. Painfully, slowly pulling out a chair, terrified of making it squeak on the floor, and incurring the ‘shushes’ of fellow students.

No knitting in Political Science tutorials

Rosalie Barry (née Erikson)

Being in a Political Science tutorial. Our group was mainly males (including a future Prime Minister). The Professor commenced by telling the few women in the class that he did not expect them to bring their knitting! Despite this comment he was an amazing lecturer and when he died quite unexpectedly early in the year, we were all very saddened and a huge crowd attended his funeral service.

The best commerce degree in New Zealand

Mike Simm

Perhaps not my ‘fondest’ memory, but I always was proud that Vic changed commerce degrees in New Zealand in the late 60’s by moving from the BCom to the BCA, with QA [Quantitative Analysis] as a key filter to make sure students had a good maths base. Roy Sidebotham, Geoff Schmit, and Graham Folgaberg with Don Trow combined innovation, academic excellence and commercial experience to give us who graduated the best commerce degree in New Zealand. Well done Victoria Uni.

Refusing to teach women in trousers

Helen Baldwin

This is an indication of how society—and expectations of woman—have changed since the 1960s. In an English lecture in my second year, the lecturer—a somewhat stern character (from England I think)—said at the beginning of class: “I am not prepared to teach this session while there is a girl here wearing trousers.” I think the poor girl left—needless to say that although the rest of us were wearing skirts we were aghast at his attitude!!

Breaking the rules at Weir House

Richard McLean

I very much enjoyed my year at Weir House, especially spiriting my girlfriend into our bedroom against the rules and also maintaining an illegal liquor supply in our bedroom. Academic pursuits were not high on the agenda until the latter stages of my law degree and studying for LLM.

Struggling to stay awake in evening classes

Joyce MacKay

In the early 1960s, BCom lectures were at night. We were expected to work during the day and learn and study at night. I remember especially ‘Trustee Law’ lectures were 5-7 pm on a Friday night!! Very hard to keep awake!

Three women in the whole lecture theatre

Edmund MacKay

There were very few women studying for a BCom in 1960s. I remember studying in the brand new Easterfield big lecture room. The three women in the class sat in the front row surrounded by our male friends.

After bringing up a family I went back to Vic and when studying for the new BCA degree (which I finished in 1980) over a quarter of the class were female. Big change!

Fortunate to graduate

John Gollan

I feel fortunate that I graduated at all even though I was usually a reasonable enough student. I just got one A pass, at stage 1 level. My BSc hinged on getting absolute borderline passes in two closely related subjects at stage III. I withdrew from BSc(Hons) the next year. My MSc in an entirely different and favourite subject was obtained by aegrotat pass (class of 1964) so I did not sit the final exam for it. Then in 1965 as a part-time student I withdrew from an evening-course subject at the university. Was glad that I didn’t have to find out too much that failing hurts.

First lecture in Easterfield building

Trish McBride

1960, the first English lecture. The first lecture in 006 in the new Easterfield block. Lovely Professor Tom Gordon who said the same thing in three ways so the dreaded note writing was easy. I was in the front row on his left so figured in the photo that appeared in the Evening Post. Probably the same theatre as the one on the other side.