THE GAZETTE•\

* The University of Newcastle, NS. W, 2308VOL. 10, NO. 1, JUNE, 1976

The Medical School's on-campus building - the Medical Sciences Block.

PLANNING FOR CLINICALTEACHING

Professor David Maddisoll writes about theUniversity's plalls for the cOllstructioll of allon-campus building and the joint schemesof the university and local hospitals toconstruct clinical buildings so that studentsof the proposed Newcastle Medical Schoolcall be trained. Professor Maddison isDeall of the Faculty of Medicine at theuniversity.

The Medical Sciences Building, to beerected on the University campus, is pri­marily designed to accommodate the basicscience aspects of medical education. Dur-~. the first two years of their five yearWdergraduate programme the students will

spend the greatest part of their time withinthis building, although the principle of ver­tical integration which governs our curricu­lum development will ensure that during·this period they make frequent visits to

~sPitals and community clinics, and thaty are frequently taught by clinicians.

During the final three years of theircourse teaching in the clinical subjects be-comes predominant, although there willcontinue to be frequent, vitally importantinterchanges with the basic sciences. Wetherefore require to construct buildings toaccommodate the headquarters for thevarious clinical disciplines, including teach­ing and research areas, but which must alsoprovide appropriate library and educationalspace. During certain segments of theirclinical education students gain a great dealfrom "living in" at a busy hospital, andthus a small amount of residential accom­modation is also necessary.

By the very nature of the instruction toa encompassed, it is essential that Clinical.ience Blocks (as they are usually called)

should be sited close to the most abundantsupply of patients suitable for teaching. Ourmajor development must therefore be inassociation with the Royal Newcastle Hos­pital, with its 500 beds, rather than with

~y other hospital in the Region. We haveade this decision recognising that in so

oing we will be responsible for generatinga greatly increased flow of traffic in an al-ready congested quarter of the city, but wehave no real choice in the matter. We willbe undertaking much smaller, subsidiarydevelopments, in the grounds of the MaterMisericordiae Hospital, and at the New­castle Psychiatric Centre; a certain amountof hospital teaching will also be providedat Wallsend Hospital and Newcastle WesternSuburbs Hospital. None of these units,however are of sufficient size or complexityto make it feasible for us to undertake ourmajor development in their vicinity.

Our major building will be a substantialone, and at the present time it is envisagedthat it will rise to a height of approximatelysix floors on the Watt Street (western) endof the Royal Newcastle Hospital site. Thefirst steps are currently being taken towardsthe design of this building, and it is hopedthat construction will commence at the be­ginning of 1978, in order for it to be readyfor occupation by the first batch of clinicalstudents in 1980.

WRITER IN RESIDENCE

Christina Stead, the celebrated novelistwho has returned to Australia after an ab­sence overseas of 40 years, is the secondWriter-in-Residence in the University.

Christina Stead, a former Visiting Fellowat the Australian National University, ad­dressed Convocation's annual general meet­ing at Newcastle Rugby Club on June 3.

She took up her appointment early inJune and wjll fulfil a period of residencylasting 9 weeks, during which she will befree to talk to students, members of staffand local writers.

She will be provided with a room on thecampus to serve as an office.

Christina Stead, 74, is called "the mostgifted of living Australian novelists" byColin Roderick in "An Introduction to Aus­tralian Fiction" (Angus and Robertson,J950)

She was born in Sydney, daughter of thedistinguished naturalist David Stead, aFabian socialist and a conservationist beforethe word became fashionable. She went tothe University of Sydney, graduating fromthe Teachers' College and working as aDemonstrator in Psychology. She wantedto travel and, when the opportunity camein 1928, left Sydney for London and be-

came private Secretary to a banking com­pany. She and the owner of the firm,William Blake, were married and livedvariously in London, New York, Brusselsand Paris for 45 years before Mr. Blakedied.

In 1935 they left Europe for the UnitedStates of America and the following yearsaw them in Spain. After the outbreak ofthe Spanish Civil War, they went to Belgiumand thence to England, returning in 1937to the United States. For a while sheworked for MGM in Hollywood as aresident writer and during the war instructedin the art and craft of the novelist at theUniversity of New York.

Christina Stead has published all herbooks outside Australia. Her first novel"Seven Poor Men of Sydney" (1934) and"For Love Alone" (1944) are closely as­sociated with the Australian scene. In"Seven Poor Men of Sydney" actual inci­dents connected with social ferment inSydney about 1926 are portrayed, and thescene of "For Love Alone" shifts in thecourse of the book from Australia toEngland.

The Writer-in-Residence Scheme has beenmade possible by the Literature Board ofthe Australian Council giving the Universityfinancial Stlpport. Xavier Herbert was thefirst Writer-in-Residence. He spent a periodat the University in Term III last year.

The joint chief investigators for the research programme: (seated) Mr. B. Fenelon, and(standing) Dr. I. T. Holland. Also pictured: Ms. C. N. E. ]o!zllson, Research Assistallt.

2

NEWTON-JOHN AWARD

Nominations for selection as the secondrecipient of the Newton-John Award arenow open. They close on July 31. Thenames of graduates who people believe aresuitable candidates should be forwarded tothe Warden of Convocation, C/- The Uni­versity of Newcastle. N.S.W. 2308.

The Award is made annually by StandingCommittee of Convocation to a graduateof this University who has been judged tohave demonstrated innovation or creativityin any field. The work for which theAward is made should have been executedduring the previous three years. The guide­lines for considering nominations will alsoinclude originality, lasting value, or aestheticvalue, or benefit to the community.

The Vice-Chancellor (or his nominee),the Warden of Convocation, Mrs. GwenHamilton, President of the Hunter ValleyBranch of the Australian Federation ofUniversity Women, Mr. Vic Levi, NewsEditor of the "Newcastle Sun" and Dr.Peter Hendry, a former Member of theUniversity Council and a prominent path­ologist, will constitute the judging panel.

The Newton-John Award consists of awork of art, which will probably take adifferent form every time the Award ismade. Standing Committee of Convocationbelieves, however, that the prestige of theAward will depend less upon its monetary,or even artistic value, than upon the statureof its recipients.

More than 400 graduates have greatlyassisted Standing Committee by completingquestionnaires dealing with the Award andposting them to the Secretary.

Last Christmas the questionnaire was cir­culated \0 graduates so that informationwould become available concerning theirpresent whereabouts and their experiencessince being admitted to their degrees.

It was no surprise to learn that many ofour graduates have progressed to significantpositions in their fields and/or producedwork which is beneficial to the quality oflife in the community.

NORMAN MELVILLE MILLION

Mr. N. M. Million, Senior Lecturer inFrench, died on February 6, at the age of43.

Professor K. R. Dutton, Professor ofFrench writes:

"Norman Melville Million took his Bache­lor of Arts degree from Oxford Universityin 1953, and his Master's degree in 1957.An Honours graduate in French and aspecialist in the diplomatic interpretation ofmediaeval writings, he became ASSistantKeeper in the Department of Palaeographyand Diplomatic in the University of Dur­ham. In 1962, he took up a position asLecturer in French at Newcastle UniversityCollege, and was promoted to a SeniorLectureship at the University of Newcastlein 1968.

"For many years a diabetic, he discoveredin 1970 that the disease was beginning toaffect his eyesight. After some months ofgradual deterioration in his vision, he be­came totally blind in 197 I. He nonethelesscontinued to teach, transcribing a great dealof background material onto tape and read­ing his lecture notes in Braille. He wa~ afamiliar sight in and around the Arts BUild­ing, being led to and from classes by hisguide-dog. Despite his handicap, he will­ingly took on the duties of Acting Head ofthe French Department from May 1972 toMay 1973.

"In late 1973, there was a marked declinein Norman Million's general health; afternearly a year of continual illness, his con­dition was eventually diagnosed as almosttotal kidney failure. From that time on.he required renal dialysis three times a

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The information, which will be kept con­fidential, will form a most useful file formembers of the judging panel.

The panel will meet soon after the nom­inations close and select the recipient ofthe award for this year. The presentationwill be made at Convocation's AnnualDinner in October.

The late Normall Million.

week, and occasional longer periods ofhospitalisation. His sister travelled fromEngland in late 1974 to donate a kidney,only to discover that there had been anerror in the initial compatibility tests andthat the transplant would be impossible. Inspite of this setback and the psychologicalblow it brought him, he continued his workuncomplainingly and in 1975 hardly misseda class. Only those close to him realised

JUNE, 1976

Flashback to the 1975 Newtoll-]ohn Awarpreselltatioll. The Vice-Chancellor, EmeritusProfessor Brill Newtoll-]o!lII, after whomthe award is lIamed, alld the recipient,

Aldermall AI/all Morris.

how much effort this cost him, and indeedhow ill he really was.

"In December 1975, he received a kidneytransplant in Sydney; after some uncertaintyas to the possible rejection of the new kid­ney, he was able to return to Newcastle inJanuary, looking forward to eating normallyonce again and hoping for an improvementin his general health. It was only a wee'however, before he had to return to hpital, where he died a few days later as aresult of a viral infection.

"A specialist in the reading of mediaevalbook hands and court hands, Norman Mil­lion was seriously hampered in his researchby his blindness. During the period Wh~his eyesight was failing, he continuedwork on mediaeval manuscripts with the aiof powerful magnifying glasses, and event­ually brought it to a stage at which a fewmonths of good health would have enabledhim to publish an important study of thehand and text of the Lumiere as lais, afourteenth-century Anglo-Norman poem. Itis hoped that the work may be publishedposthumously.

"It is for his devotion to teaching, how­ever that he will be particularly remember­ed by those who were his students. HisFourth Year course in mediaeval Frenchliterature and philology was invariably themost popular option ·amongst French Hon­ours students, a number of whom havegone on to post-graduate w.ork in mediaev~lstudies. His colleagues WIll remember hISdry humour, the reserve which only thinlyoverlaid the warmth of his personality, andin particular the complete absence of com­plaint or self-pity that he showed from thebeginning of his long illness until his death."

Mr. Million leaves a wife and fourchildren.

JUNE, 1976

NEUROPSYCHOLOGICALRESEARCH

All accoullt of the research he is directing,with support from members of his depart­me/ll and specialists from Royal NewcastleHospital, and financial help from theNational Health and Medical ResearchCouncil, is givell by Mr. B. Felleloll, SeniorLecturer ill Psychology at the unil'ersity.

It is a pleasure to outline the neuro­psychological research activities ot the De­partment of Psychology and those conductedjointly with the Department of Electro­encephalography (EEG) and ClinicalNeurophysiology of the Royal NewcastleHospital. This is the tenth year of activecooperation in research and teaching be­tween the two departments. It has been ayear of significant advance in the equippingof the two laboratories concerned. It hasalso seen the consolidation and formalis­ation of full interdisciplinary teamwork onthe problems of children with severe read­ing difficulties. It is on these problems thatthe joint research of the two laboratorieshas been concentrated.

Neuropsychology is not a widely familiarterm and therefore should be defined.Some reviewers see neuropsychology as anew science, others as a reawakened sciencewhich originated in the craniotomies of

_ cient Egypt and emerged to its presentm through the localising studies con­cted by aphasiologists and faculty psy­

chologists. The focus of study is seen bysome as the relationship between nervoussystem and behaviour, by others as theactual behavioural mechanisms consideredin a neurological context. The interest is

_ dysfunction rather than fixed pathology.d in the behaving rather than the staticsubject. This is a hybrid of the parentdisciplines of neurology and psychologyand, as happens in some hybrid organisms,it is showing enhanced vigour in investigat­ing the relationships between brain andbehaviour. New functional insights aredeveloping which are having a stimulatingeffect on the parent disciplines as well asproviding the incentives for their furtherclose cooperation.

The investigations of learning problemshave been carried out on children exhibit­ing the more severe grades of difficulty.Selection of subjects has been based onschool and home referrals, marked retard-

_ ion in classroom and achievement testrformance (often specifying the abnor­alities in performance), near-average or

higher intelligence test results. absence oforganic history and "hard" neurologicalsigns, sensory normality and a normal his­tory of scholastic attendance and opportun-

•

. . The general aims have been to carryt a systematic study of the brain activity

f reading problem children at rest and inresponse to stimulation (including standardtask solution), to present a neuropsycho­logical profile of the problem reader and toinvestigate the practical application of diag­nostic findings in prescriptive teaching pro­grammes. Studies have been conducted inthree major areas: clinical EEG, frequencyanalyses and evoked responses.

Compelling evidence has been found of adisproportionate frequency of EEG abnor­mality in problem readers, including epilep­tic and epileptiform activities, despite theexclusion of clinically manifest epilepsies inthe selection process. Electrically immatureEEG records also occur with high frequencyin problem readers and this is of specialinterest because of the presumptive neuro­anatomical bases for developmental delays inlanguage and cognitive functioning in thesechildren. Many problem readers, for pri­mary or secondary reasons, are distractibleand have difficulty in concentrating at workor play. The effects of medication aimedat improving resistance to distraction have

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been studied in the clinical laboratory. Theresults do not warrant a general use of suchan approach but confirm the value ofchemical intervention in selected cases.Overall the clinical EEG results providesupport for the view that EEG investigationsshould be conducted routinely in cases ofsevere learning problems.

Frequency analyses have shown manydifferences between normal and problemreaders. The problem readers have a lowerand more variable energy output in EEG,reveal greater similarity between hemis­pheres, have more low frequency activityand, in the various response conditions, theactivity mobilised is not well differentiatedand appears less appropriate to the occasionthan that of normal readers. The auto­spectral signature of problem readers is insome respects characteristic. Anothe, pro­mising identificatory diagnostic indicator isavailable in the relationship between band­width activities in the parietal regions:contrary interhemispheric relationships havebeen found in problem and normal readergroups.

Confused cerebral laterality is seen bymany workers as a possible functional basisfor difficulty in the acquisition of literacyskills. Evoked response and slow potentialstudies conducted in the University labora­tory have been aimed' at securing more de­tailed and precise information on the sym­metry and timing of responses within andbetween hemispheres. A picture hasemerged in problem readers of poorlydifferentiated and ill coordinated responsesin the right hemisphere, competing with(rather than reinforcing) responses in thenormally language-dominant left hemis­phere. Interhemispheric latency differencesare extreme in some problem readers, re­sulting in phase shifts which are probablyimportant factors in the confused infor­mation processing of these children. Theslow potential studies have added to theevidence of a less adaptive interhemisphericresponse to stimulation in problem childrenthan in normal readers.

Investigation of cerebral laterality hasbecome central in the work at the Uni-

3

versity. The National Acoustic Labor­atories in Sydney have provided audiometricequipment and computer fabricated diag­nostic tapes for investigation of responsesto dichotic stimulation. A recent jointaward by the N.H. & M.R.C. to Dr. J. T.Holland (Director of the EEG Departmentand Research Associate of the PsychologyDepartment) and the writer has madepossible the employment of a full-timeresearch assistant. Problem readers andnormal controls in the age range 6 - 12years wUl be studied over the next year inan attempt to refine the diagnostic indicatorsfound in earlier studies.

Grants-in-aid by Roche Products Pty.Ltd. have been expended largely on equip­ment such as the 8-channel Elema researchrecorder and the PDP-12 computer housedin the Psychology laboratories. TheCharlestown Lions Clubs, through theRoyal Newcastle Hospital, have also pro­vided assistance toward the purchase of therecorder. In all, research assistance totall­ing $40,000 has been secured over the pastsix years for application in the projectsdescribed above and in work on visual fac­tors in reading difficulty which has beenclosely associated. One-third of this moneyhas been obtained from private sources, theremainder from N.H. & M.R.C. grants.

It should be mentioned that interdisciplin­ary team work has extended beyond thatdescribed above. Operating on a N.H. &M.R.C. grant over the past three years, Dr.D. B. Dunlop (Research Associate, Depart­ment of Psychology) and the writer, withresearch associates P. Dunlop and S. Allen,have investigated the value of certain visualdiagnostic findings in predicting the lateroccurrence of reading difficulty in veryyoung children. The interdisciplinary effortis maximiseq in the clinical and researchoperations of the recently established Learn­ing Disorder Clinic of Royal NewcastleHospital, on the Committee of which nofewer than thirteen professional specialis­ations are represented. It is gratifying tothe writer that the University has beenprominently involved in the development ofthe team concept and in the establishmentof an important community service.

4

THE DEPARTMENT OFSOCIOLOGY

A Department of Sociology has been estab­lished by the university, with the first yearclass scheduled to begin next year. . TheFoundation Professor of Sociology, Pro­fessor Michael Carter, who came from theUniversity of Aberdeen, Seotland, has kindlywrillen this article about Sociology and hisplans for the development of the newDepartment.

This is an intriguing as well as an excit­ing time to be starting a Department ofSociology. There are undoubtedly lessonsto be drawn from the experience of thelast ten years or so in the discipline: andthe next ten years should be a provingtime.

The rapid expansion of Sociology in theuniversities and other institutions of highereducation has attracted overmuch trivialpublicity. It is characteristic of the super­ficiality and confusion of debate surround­ing the subject that its growth has beenidentified as both the result and the causeof social tensions - manifesting the anti­pathies of various social groupings (in class,generation or ethnic terms, for example)or introducing tensions in these sphereswhich, were it not for Sociology, wouldnever have occurred. These contradictoryarguments alike seem to do the subject toomuch justice, in according it an influencewhich most of its proponents would notpretend. Whatever its impact, universitiesseemed for a while to be falling over them­selves to get onto the sociological band­wagon. There have undoubtedly been somemistakes as a consequence. Many Depart­ments expanded too quickly, with a resul­tant imbalance in qualifications and experi­ence. Research and learning did not keeppace with the profusion of new curricula,new students and new staff. Teachers foundthemselves taking on new courses eachyear, or each term, with scarcely time toreflect upon and consolidate the work ofthe previous session. Accumulated know­ledge was despised by some students - inSociology as in other subjects - whoarrogantly asserted their right and their in­tention to do their own thing. Few wouldargue that the benefits of greater studentparticipation and of more liberal modes ofassessment have been unsullied by accom­panying blemishes to academic commitmentand scholastic values. So that Sociologycannot claim to have lived up to the pro­mise thrust upon it by those who saw itas the discipline most likely to give new lifeto wearied academic forms - a role tooreadily accepted by some of its practitioners.It is also the case that some students ofSociology saw the universities less in termsof institutions for the pursuit of knowledgetlian as bases for social insurrection: thereis perhaps less cause for worry about mis­placed motives in this context than aboutintellectual and political naivete. In anycase, the ideological pendulum, it wouldseem, has swung away somewhat fromradicalism in the universities, a processhelped along by fears of the steady (ordeclining) state in financial terms and of afall in the number, or at least in the rateof increase, of students. Specifically in thisrespect, the argument goes, the sociologicalbubble has been pricked: it has not deliver­ed the goods. Neighbouring disciplines canfeel free once more - historians, jealousof their years; geographers, mindful of theirboundaries; and the range of other disci­plines into whose domains sociologists havedeemed to trespass, can be tranquil oncemore.

If the above thumbnail sketch is widelyregarded as a genuine reproduction, it is infact no more than a caricature. Sociologymay have appeared as the black sheep ofthe academic family: it is too early to

THE GAZETTE

dismiss it as a white elephant - and itcould yet turn out to be a dark horse. Itspedigree, certainly, is good, and extendsback over more generations than is com­monly supposed. In fact, this is a goodtime to be founding a Department ­because the lessons of the last decade canbe learnt and applied; because, midst allthe ephemera, good sociology resulting fromhard thought and concentrated empiricalstudy is now being produced; because theuniversities have' educated a new generationof able and sophisticated social scientists,not there to draw upon in the earlier days;and because there is now a greater maturityin matters of teaching and research thanhas been the case for many years. Thereis, too, a larger measure of comprehensionamongst non-sociologists in the universitiesthan has previously existed. Greateracquaintance with neighbouring disciplineshas led to greater respect and mutual en­hancement. This augurs well for a subjectwhich demands appreciation of other disci­plines not simply to offset its own approach,but to feed into it.

It does not, in this context, much matterwhether the student of Sociology studies"qualitative" or "quantitative" parallel sub­jects (if this distinction is meaningful) ­an Arts, a Sciences or a Social Science ­because each of these subjects poses ques­tions and induces insights which are appositefor sociological understanding. Some ap­preciation of statistical techniques is desir­able for the sociologist: but it is not asubstitute for Sociology. The study ofsociety can too readily become barrenlypositivist and statistical. This danger willbe avoided in Newcastle, where the courseswill involve the interpretation and under­standing of social processes in termsmeaningful for the participants in thoseprocesses - individuals, groups and col­lectivities. Transitory fads and fallacies ofthe last few years will not be a feature ofthe teaching programme - which will besoundly (it could be said, traditionally)based in the study of social change, socialstructures and social institutions.

Sociologists, it should be said, are equallyconcerned with social stability and thenature of social order, as with the springs,correlates and consequences of socialchange. The nature of social structures ­the persistence of societies over time withidentifiably distinctive structural features ­is of fundamental concern in a world inwhich so-called under-developed societiesare juxtaposed with modem industrial andurban societies and interact with themeconomically, culturally and politically,with direct consequences for the everydaylives of their peoples. Are there techno­logical, economic or political imperativeswhich will in time impose a similar struc­tural pattern upon societies which are, onother dimensions - notably ideological ­of an apparently very different order? Whatcultural and structural differences are com­patible with mass media, mass communi­cations and mass markets? From a differ­ent angle, societies may be said to exist,for those who compose them, as quasi­objective realities - society is there, outthere; yet, in another sense, they exist onlyby virtue of the constant inter-action oftheir members, albeit informed and orien­tated by particular cultural heritages. Thussocieties are constructed by their membersas well as confronting them. The relation­ship between the individual and society is asociological as well as a social philosophicalquestion. It poses special problems formethodology in the social sciences - towhat extent is it feasible to describe asociety or some feature of it without im­posing the observer's meaning upon what isobserved? Such questions are always nearthe surface in sociological enquiry, andproperly so. It is nonetheless true that

JUNE, 1976

Professor Mic/wel Carter.

much sociological endeavour over the lafew years has been stultified rather threfreshed by concentration upon questioof what Sociology is, and whether it can be.Such dissipation of energy will be neutralis­ed in the Newcastle curriculum by an em­phasis upon empirical studies, by the in­volvement of staff in on-going research, andby avoiding heavy theorising in the earparts of the courses. Students comeSociology with an interest which should bkindled by the exploration of real socialprocesses and issues, rather than extinguish­ed by the dampening drizzle of meta­theoretical speculation. There is too muchgoing on in the world outside, in Newcastleand its environs, in Australia, and morewidely in Asia and the Pacific, for the De­partment of Sociology to be pre-occupiedwith problems of existence.

The Department will draw upon thetheories and approaches of social anthro­pologists and sociologists in its teaching andresearch. The separation of these can nolonger be justified on intellectual grounds.Furthermore, cross-cultural studies are crcial to the understanding of societiSociologists and Social Anthropologists havtoo much in common, in their intellectualequipment, their substantive research and,nowadays, in their geographical and socialhunting grounds, to remain separated. Thequestion is often posed by laymen, what .the difference between Sociology and SociAnthropology? All sorts of theoretical contortions have been resorted to in the attemptto justify the individual autonomy of thesedisciplines. Social Anthropology, it hasbeen said, always brings in God (or theDevil): this, somewhat flippant commentarynevertheless points to the important factthat Anthropology stresses the salience inmany dimensions of human existence insociety of systems of belief and thought.To the extent that this is so, it is a usefulcorrective for the sociologist, divisive in hislabour, to pigeon-hole such matters intoboxes labelled "Sociology of Religion" and"Sociology of Knowledge". A distinguishedsocial anthropologist once said that anysociologist who had done participant obser­vation in the course of his research was ananthropologist. This was perhaps less anexemplification of mature judgement, how­ever, than the succumbing to the wish toproselytise at a time when all the favours ­and the numbers - were going towardsSociology Departments. By this reasoningany anthropologist who uses sampling tech-

(

JUNE, 1976

niques or questionnaires (and the number islarge and increasing) is a sociologist. Theargument has little point. It is of doubtfulvalue to categorise scientific work accordingto the techniques of inquiry used.

If the differences between Sociology andSocial Anthropology are to be played down,there is a difference in another area whichought to be stressed - namely Sociologyis not Social Work. The latter is concernedwith the bringing to bear of a set of theoriesand practises drawn from a range of disci­plines upon a set of individual, family and,sometimes, community problems. Sociologyis one of the disciplines upon which SocialWork draws - but it is important thatprospective students do not join Sociologyclasses under the impression that they willthereby necessarily qualify as SocialWorkers. Misunderstanding of this hasbeen widespread in recent years - a pointerto the need for greater cooperation betweenuniversities and schools in matters of sub­ject guidance and choice, especially in refer­ence to subjects which are not taught inschools. Sociologists are not uninterestedin problems which confront Social Workers,of course - issues relating to poor housing,

700 GRADUATE IN CEREMONY

At three conferring of degrees ceremonies~Id in the Great Hall of the university.-cently, some 700 degrees were awarded.

Xavier Herbert, who was Writer-in­Residence in the university last year,journeyed South from his native Queens­land to receive the Honorary Degree ofDoctor of Letters.

~In the words of the Vice-Chancellor, who

ave the Occasional Address at the Artsonferring of Degrees Ceremony: "The

growth of the University had been such thatit was necessary this year for the first timeto hold three separate graduation cere­monies and to devote one entirely to gradu­ates in the Arts. One hundred degreesmore than last year and twice the numberfive years ago have been awarded in theceremonies.

"This year, of course, marks the endof the first 25 years of university educationin this city - 25 years during whichdramatic changes have occurred in tertiaryeducation not only in the Hunter Valley,but in Australia generally.

-

"This year, in ceremonies similar to thosee have held, nearly 25,000 students wille receiving their first degrees from Aus­

tralian universities, or nearly 10 times thenumber 25 years ago".

Professor George noted that the univer­sity's graduate body, Convocation, had a

anembership approaching 5,000 and he look­W?~ forward to the new graduates' active role

in its affairs.Occasional addresses were also given by

the Chairman of the Law Reform Com­mission, Mr. Justice Kirby (at theEconomics and Commerce, and ScienceConferring of Degrees) and Mr. L10ydRees, the artist (at the Architecture, Engin­eering and Mathematics Conferring ofDegrees).

Mr. Justice Kirby was making his firstspeech since the Law Reform Commissionwas asked by the Federal Government toconsider new laws to protect privacy inAustralia. He asked the graduates inEconomics and Commerce and Sciencequestions relevant to the future of Aus­tralian society: Where will the intrusionsinto privacy end? Or will it end? Or arewe like modern Canutes incompetent tostem the tide of intrusion?

He referred to the new questions to beasked in the Census forms. He also refer­red to the case reported in Victoria wherethe Victorian Ombudsman, Mr. Dillon, had

THE GAZETTE

poverty and general social deprivation; andthey are cO:lcerned with the ways in whichsocial policies are formulated and executed- and, especially, with the frequency withwhich social plans fail to achieve the aimsfor which they are designed. There is oftena distinct divergence of achievement fromintention, attributable to unanticipated socialprocesses and pressures. The unintendedconsequences of social action are of specialsignificance in the field of social pol icy.

Sociology has special appeal to maturestudents: in particular, it can offer much topractitioners in social work and social ad­ministration, and to workers in law enforce­ment agencies. In turn, it can benefit fromthose with knowledge and insights - rarelyfound in books - from working in suchoccupations. Many men and women inintermediate and senior posts in these fieldshave not, for historical or personal reasons,had a formal university education. Thereis much to be gained, of benefit to theuniversity, the community and the individ­ual alike, in capturing the potential whichis there. Such work could well be on aninter-disciplinary basis and might lead to anacademic diploma. Certainly there is much

criticised the police for making available toan employer Children's Court criminal con­victions which were six years old.

"One is entitled to suggest that the num­ber of intrusions into our lives by Govern­ment and business have increased, are in­creasing and unless something is done. willcontinue to increase."

The Judge said that it was precisely toanswer the question "Where will this allend?" that the Government had now in­structed the Law Reform Commission toprovide suggested answers.

"The problem, in a word, is that themodern passion for collecting informationis now fed by great scientific advanceswhich the law at the moment does notadequately discipline. Science has producedthe computer. It has produced listeningdevices. It has produced the video mon­itor. The fertile minds of scientists, dailypose new problems for the law".

The Judge stressed that it was not feasibleor desirable to condemn out of hand thecentralisation of information and thedevelopment of computers.

"A law which did this would undoubtedlysuffer the same fate as the Luddites".

He emphasised the need for the Law Re­form Commission to secure the participationof scientists themselves in the exercisebefore it.

"We will undoubtedly enlist scientific.assistance from the earliest stages of ourenquiry. Scientists cannot simply developintrusive devices and wash their hands ofthe consequences of their work. If they doso, they will deliver us all to the authori­tarian state", Mr. Justice Kirby said.

The Judge also had a word of warningfor the economists and lawyers graduating.He quoted the late Professor J. Bronowski'swarning:- "The world today is made, it ispowered by science; and for any man toabdicate an interest in science is to walkwith open eyes towards slavery".

Mr. Justice Kirby added that it was theaim of the Commission to provide usefulreports to the present Federal Parliamentso that legislation and other measures couldbe introduced during the term of the presentFederal Parliament.

Mr. L10yd Rees, placing his elbow onthe lectern and speaking without notes,told the graduates in Architecture, Engineer­ing and Mathematics that they would learnmore from failures than successes.

"Everyday of your life should have 'ad­venture, exploration, high endeavour andfailure."

5

scope for post-experience courses in con­temporary society.

The first year class in Sociology willstart in 1977. Before the end of the pre­sent Session, it is hoped, a Senior Lecturerand a Lecturer will have taken up post.Postgraduate work should begin at an earlystage. Research projects are envisaged intoa wide range of social aspects of Newcastleand its region, including the sociology ofwork and industry, the sociology of edu­cation, family and community life, and thenature and incidence of deviant behaviour.Beyond Newcastle's shores, research inter­ests in sociological and anthropological as­pects of Asian societies will be developed.And, through its teaching and research, itis hoped that the Department will contributeto a greater measure of understanding ofthe processes of social change in Australia,on the grand scale, and in city, countrysideand township - whilst fulfilling the funda­mental task of any university department:that of developing the intellects and theunderstanding of its students. Intriguingtime it may be - but the potential istremendous.

Mr. Justice Kirby addressing new graduates.

He remembered that a "most successful"architect had addressed a group of newgraduates in these terms: "You have onlyone objective in your professional life ­to please your client". Mr. Rees criticisedthis attitude, which failed to recognise an~rchitect's responsibility to serve everybody10 the community. Just thinking of theclient was a very bleak way to approachlife.

Mr. Rees saw intolerance as a wonderfulcharacteristic of mankind. It was a tragedy,he said, to lose our intolerance. The lateProfessor Murdoch had written: "If youhear old men saying how wise they aredon't believe them. They have merely for­gotten the intolerance of their youth".Tolerance can make you like a building thatshouldn't have been built or a tree thatshouldn't have been removed. We shouldnever adopt the attitude "that'll do".

He took the decisions of the Municipalityof Paris not to allow a replica of the UNBuilding to be built on a site adjacent tothe Arc de Triomphe and to allow theEiffel Tower to be built as examples ofbrave, visionary thinking which had beenin conflict with popular opposition.

Mr. Rees concluded by making this pleato the graduates: "You are on the thresholdof your lives and moving into a world wherethe changes canI!0t be imagined. Don'tallow the motor car to be your God. Thecar cuts people off from their fellows. Ihope the cities of the future will developworthwhile systems of public transport sothe strain of driving along crowded streetswill be eliminated".

Professor John Biggs, Foundation Dean ofthe Faculty of Education, who writes hereabout the factors causing the formation, and

the prospects, of his Faculty.foundation disciplines to education will alsobe a continuing and high priority. It isimpossible to say, given the rather unstablecurrent situation at the total tertiary level,if the Faculty's commitment to preserviceteacher education will continue at the pre­sent level, relative to other commitments.Whatever the future holds it should benoted that preservice preparation of teachersis a critical component in the Faculty'sprogramme: without it both research andteaching would suffer in terms of vitality,relevance and inspiration.

It is opportune that towards the middleof 1976 the Faculty will be occupying anew building, together with Psychology andSociology. The new facilities - sorelyneeded and long overdue - will enormouslyenhance the work of the Faculty. Somefeatures of particular interest include ade­quate housing for the Curriculum ResourceCentre, with provision for individual studyand A/V facilities; an Experimental Class­room and a Primary Classroom, both withbuilt in observation rooms and A/V link­ages; and a computing room, shared withPsychology and Sociology.

1976 is a year of administrative, function­al and physical change for Education atthis University. We are looking forwardeagerly to the opportunities and the chal­lenges that await us.

Professor and Mrs. Auchmuty propose toleave for England by sea towards the endof July. Mrs. Auchmuty hopes to returnto Australia in October and may rejoin herhusband towards the end of his Englishstay. She certainly proposes to be in Scot­land for the University Womens Confer­ence in Stirling in the autumn of 1977 bywhich time Professor Auchmuty will havereturned to Australia.

During 1975 he was an official delegateto two separate conferences in India and inearlier years, quite apart from his attend­ance at Commonwealth-wide meetings inLondon, he also participated in similar meet­ings in Canada, Ghana, India and NewZealand. He has been a frequent visitor toother parts of the Commonwealth such asKenya and Mauritius and an occasi?nalvistior to other Commonwealth countnes.

Australia in 1971; he was a member of theAustralian Educational Mission to the SouthPacific in 1970 and from 1967-74 was amember of the Council of the Associationof Commonwealth Universities.

Professor lames Auchmuty.

THE GAZETTEScholarship Office, and two further vacan­cies which are to be filled as special needsarise. It is further intended that any adhoc committees of Faculty Board wouldcoopt non-university membership to suitthe brief of such committees. In this wayit is hoped that the Faculty Board will beable to solicit opinions on issues that haveramifications both within and beyond theuniversity itself. The Faculty Board thusreplaces the Board of Studies in Education,but retains the important links with thecommunity that was a feature of the Boardof Studies.

As the sheer size of the Department ofEducation has increased, so have the func­tions. In 1973 the Curriculum ResourceCentre, for use in pre-service and in-serviceteacher education as well as for curriculumresearch, was established; and in 1974, thepostgraduate coursework degree of Bachelorof Educational Studies (B.Ed.Stud.), pri­marily for in-service teacher education, wasinitiated.

It has been agreed with employingauthorities that in exceptional circumstances,certain units of the B.Ed.stud. degree canbe used towards a basic teaching qualifi­cation.

The structure of the new Faculty is tobe determined during 1976. At present,we are retaining the single-departmentstructure but during the course of this yearwe shall be experimenting with otherpossibilities, for subsequent adoption in1977 and beyond. Education shares withother professional faculties the problem ofreconciling common purposes, e.g. teachereducation, with multi-disciplinary resources.The multi-disciplinary feature can becomelost in the traditional faculty structure em­bracing autonomous departments; the singledepartment structure, on the other hand, canbecome unwieldy, with replication offunctions at department and faculty level.A solution attempted at some other uni­versities is to implement semi-autonomous"centres" or "areas" under the overall ad­ministration of Faculty Board. It seemslikely that this Faculty will adopt a similarstructure: possible centres, reflecting presentstaffing needs and research programmes,would be Teacher Education, EducationalPsychology, and Studies in Australian Edu­cation. The last-named, specifically devotedto research and teaching on aspects ofAustralian education, would be (surprising­ly) unique in an Australian university.

Under present circumstances, the mainemphasis of the Faculty will be on profes­sional development in the field of education,but research and teaching in the basic

An invitation to be the first holder ofthis Chair, for the academic year 1976-1977,has been accepted by the former Vice­Chancellor, Professor J. J. Auchmuty.

The Commonwealth Foundation hasestablished, in the first instance for a fiveyear period, a Chair of Modern Common­wealth History at the University of Leeds.It is proposed that the Chair should beoccupied for a year at a time by personswho have been actively associated withContemporary Commonwealth Affairs.

THE NEW FACULTY OFEDUCATION AT NEWCASTLE

It will be recalled that in 1974 ProfessorAuchmuty received from the Association ofCommonwealth Universities the SymonsAward for a major contribution to Com­monwealth University Education. Herepresented Australia at the fourth Com­monwealth Education· Conference in Lagos,Nigeria in 1968 and the fifth in Canberra,

JUNE, 1976

LEEDS POST FOR

tlrROFESSOR AUCHMUTY

On November 21, 1975, the UniversityCouncil constituted a Faculty of Educationat this University. The Faculty effectivelybegan operations on January 1, 1976, andis confining itself to the administration ofcourses and research leading to postgraduatequalifications. These are at present theDiploma in Education, Bachelor of Edu­cational Studies, Master of Education andDoctor of Philosophy. UndergraduateEducation subjects (including Honours)towards the degree of Bachelor of Arts, andeducational studies towards the degrees ofMaster of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy,will continue to be administered by FacultyBoard, Faculty of Arts.

The Department of Education was found­ed in this University in 1968 within theFaculty of Arts, with Professor L. N. Short,now Deputy Vice-Chancellor, occupying theFoundation Chair, and four other staffmembers. This arrangement, of placingEducation in the Faculty of Arts, was acommon one in Australian Universities atone time, but the majority of universitieshave found, as has this University, thatboth the size and the nature of the contri­bution of Education to the work of theUniversity requiries an autonomous facultystructure.

_ Since 1968, the Department has grown"nsiderably, from the five full-time

academic staff initially appointed to thecurrent establishment of 23, with a corres­ponding increase in non-academic staff. In1973, Professor J. Biggs took up the secondchair in Education and was appointed Head

•

f Department until December 31, 1975.he present Head is Associate Professor K.. Collis. The first meeting of the new

Faculty Board, Faculty of Education, wasconvened on December 10, 1975, for thepurpose of electing a Dean, Sub-Dean, andimmediately necessary Committees ofFaculty Board. At this meeting ProfessorBiggs was elected Dean for 1976 and Mr.W. Warren, Sub-Dean. The Faculty Boarditself is comprised of all members of theDepartment of Education, with represent­atives from all other departments or facul­ties in the University, and three studentrepresentatives. In addition, in a Facultysuch as Education, it is highly desirable tohave members of Faculty Board represent­ing the wider community. Hence, there

"~e three positions representing each of the~ewcastle CAE, the N.S.W. Department of

Education, and the Catholic EducationBoard; one representative of the Teachers'

JUNE, 1976

Judith Wright.

Basden, by Joshua Smith. I

Theatre" in honour of Dr. Basden, whoseeportrait, executed by the controversialpainter Joshua Smith, who also had hisportrait painted (by Dobell), hangs in theTheatre. The portrait was painted at thetime of his retirement and was commission-ed from Smith by the University of Newcastle staff.

THE GAZETTE

The portrait of Dr. Ralph

POETRY EVENING

Judith Wright will read poetry, speak,and answer questions at a poetry eveningin the Staff House, University of Newcastle,on Wednesday, 4th August, at 8 p.m.

The evening is being jointly sponsored bythe Convocations of the Australian NationalUniversity (of which Judith Wright is aformer Creative Arts Fellow) and the Uni­versity of Newcastle. Members of bothConvocations, their wives, husbands andfriends are welcome.

A wine and sandwich supper will be pro­vided, at a cost of $3 per person.

If you would like to come, please write,enclosing your remittance to cover the costof supper, to the Secretary of Convocation,C/- The University of Newcastle, 2308.

Cheques, etc., should be made pay.ableto the University of Newcastle Convocation.

Dr. Basden lived in Parkway Avenue,Newcastle, for many years. The highstandard of his garden was well known.

He moved to Hawkins Masonic Village,Edgeworth, last year.

The University Council renamed theScience Lecture Theatre "The Basden

The Secretary, University

of Newcastle, 2308, of

* Names and addresses ofother graduates who are noton the mailing list for "THEGAZETTE".

* Changes in marital status.

6

PLEASE ADVISE

* Your change of address.

DEATH OF FIRST WARDEN

Dr. Ralph Basden, first Ward$:n of theformer Newcastle University College, diedat Wallsend Hospital on March 25 at theage of 82.

Dr. Basden was born in Croydon, Sydneyand left Petersham Superior Public Schoolat the age of 14. Before World War I heattended classes in Chemistry and Miner­alogy at Sydney Technical College andreceived his Diploma in Chemistry(AS.T.C.). He served in Egypt, France andBelgium during World War I with the 15thAmbulance.

In 1923 he became a Teacher of Chem­istry at Hunter Street Technical College,Newcastle. He was Principal of the BrokenHill and Wollongong Technical Collegesbefore returning to Newcastle in 1939 asPrincipal of Newcastle Technical College.

Work on the construction of the TighesHill Technical College had commencedabout five years before he took up his ap­pointment as Principal. When he arrivedin Newcastle the Sir Edgeworth DavidBuilding had just been completed.

During the Technical College's formativeyears he was responsible for establishing agood deal of the College's educationalfacilities.

He was admitted to a BSc degree withfirst class honours by the University ofLondon in the thirties, and to BEd and MEddegrees by the University of Melbourne inthe forties - all resulting from study bycorrespondence.

The Principal of the Technical Collegewas made also Warden of the UniversityCollege when it was established within theCollege in 1951. He remained Wardenuntil his retirement in 1959. Professor J.J. Auchmuty served with Dr. Basden asDeputy Warden of the College from 1955,succeeding Dr. Basden as Warden.

At the official opening of the ChemistryBuilding in September 1969 Dr. Basdenwas admitted to the honorary Degree ofDoctor of Science. He also served on theUniversity Council from 1965 to 1970 asa representative of Convocation.

He was an Honorary Research Fellow inthe Department of Chemistry and came tothe campus nearly every day to carry outresearch into the chemistry of the excretionsof insects which live on eucalyptus trees, afield of interest about which he publisheda number of scholarly papers.

He also spent a lot of time in the fieldcollecting samples for analysis.

His principal hobby was bushwalking, anactivity which resulted in him being an ex­pert on the Barrington Tops area.

For more than 50 years he held an ap­pointment as a Public Analyst - believedto be longer than anybody else.

JUNE, 1976

BIRTHDAY21st

University Rugby Club will hold its 21 stAnniver~ary Dinner in Edwards Hall at theUniversity of Newcastle on the evening ofJuly 17.

All past ~e~bers of the club and sup­porters are inVIted to attend the specialcelebrations.

The Club is publishing a history whichwill be released at the Dinner.

A total of 81 foolscap pages have beencollected, together with photographs, andthe book is currently in the press.

Mr. Brian O'Shea, a veteran forwardwith the Club, who is President of the Uni­versity Sports Union, will be guest speakerat the Anniversary Dinner.

Further information about the Dinnercan be obtained from Mr. H. Bradford. atthe University, or the Club Secretary (Mr.Roger Zimmerman, Tel. N'cle 57 1327).

THE GAZETTE

Membership of the University's Blues "Club" numbers 73 following the presentation, by theVice-Chancel/or, of jive blues 'at a dinner in Edwards Hall on March 19. The recipients(from left): Terrence McLennan (squash), Glyn Cox (atl1letics), Graeme Walsh (Rugby

Union), Pam Haze/wood and Robyn Fel'llley (women's hockey).

"Convocation is now a very large enter- cation directly with the Council or Senateprise indeed, with some 5,000 members; it on any matter affecting the University -handles its own financial affairs, having powers which it holds under the By-laws.taken over last year an account previously This is an area of very great weight andheld by, the Univer~ity.; and as the an area which, in my experience, we' hav~reasur~r,s report has IndIcated, the finan- entered hardly at all. It is not onlyCI~! posItIon IS extremely sound. . llreat privilege, but. a great responsibility,-

We now have a Graduate Affairs It makes ConvocatIOn, as a former Vice-Officer (Mr. John Armstrong) who looks Principal once put it, potentially the mostafter a great deal of Convocation's liaison powerful body in the University.with its me!TIbers a!ld the wide~ community "To fulfil this task properly, Convocationon a part-tIme baSIS. Our act/re member- must rely on two things: firstly its~hip is under~tan~ably small, ~s is t~e case credibility with the University autho;'itiesAIn every Umverslty C~nvocatIon, SInce so We shall not gain this by rushing in an,-many members are dIspersed throughout expressing an opinion to Council or SenateAustralia and overseas (1 might interpolate on every matter under the sun' it is ahere that the questionnaire to graduates has responsibility which must be exer~ised withsurprised me by .the number of responses restraint, for .our credibility relies verythat have come ID from Newcastle gra,du- largely on preCIsely the restraint with whichates ID all parts of the world). But I thIDk, that power is exercised. But it is an areadespite a relative.ly smal! active membership, in which perhaps we could have done more,that we can claIm a hIgh level of support and for that 1 confess to some sense ofand interest," Professor Dutton said. regret.

"In terms of . level of activity, we need "Secondly, we rely on our credibility withmake no apologies for ~he fact that ~e a~e graduates themselves. And this type ofprobably the most actIve ConvocatIOn ID matter is notoriously difficult to measure.Austraha. In terms of how we are seen All I can say is that the success of ourby the Uniyersity, I believe we cannot rely financial appeals, of our request for contri-on automatIc accel?tanc,e but need constantly butory membership subscriptions, and the~o show the Umverslty that. we are. an response to the graduate questionnaire lead~

IDt,~gral and valuable part of Its t~tal hfe. me to believe that .we have the support 0When I took on the WardenshIp, I had our members; and If attendance at business

some misgivings as to the propriety or a meetings is not always all it could be themember of the academic staff undertaking success of our special functions is redtark-such an office. The last two years have ably gratifying."confirmed that disquiet, and indeed I have The Secretary (Mr. E. J. Buckman) andbecome more acutely aware than ever of the the Treasurer (Mr. G. Mitchell) presente_disadvantage of being both an employee of their respective reports. Convocation'the institution and at the same time the bank balance at the time of the Annualspokeman for a body which has as one of Meeting was in excess of $5000.its vital roles that of criticising theinstitution.

"When I look back over these last twoyears, I believe that this dichotomy has inmany ways limited my usefulness to Con­vocation - for the two hats have not sateasily, particularly at times when I havefelt, as Warden, that the University wasbeing hard, or unjust, or unappreciative ofConvocation, and yet at the same time haveseen Convocation's activities against thebackground of other pressing priorities with­in the University. I trust that, in thisrespect, you will be better served by mysuccessor, and that Convocation will takeon its full role in the counsels of thisinstitution.

"Let us not forget that Convocation.which is now the most numerous group ofpeople comprising the University, has theright to discuss and pronounce an opinionon any matter whatsoever relating to theUniversity, and to enter into communi-

WARDEN OF CONVOCATION

Mr. Relf.

Elected at Convocation's annual meetingon June 3, Mr. Relf succeeds Professor KenDutton, Professor of French, who, followinghis two-year term as Warden, did not pre­sent himself for re-election.

Mr. Relf, who is well-known in Newcastlebusiness, surveying, Boy Scout and Rotarycircles, was a member of Standing Com­mittee of Convocation from 1973 to 1976.

Addressing the members of Convocationpresent, the retiring Warden spoke of thecontinuing role within the university ofConvocation, which was an extraordinarilyactive and successful organisation.

"When I became Warden in 1974, therewere a number of new initiatives alreadyin hand, thanks largely to the vision andhard work of my predecessor, WarrenDerkenne. The work so well begun in 1974has since been brought to fruition, in thesuccess of the Auchmuty Library Appealand in the first presentation of the Newton­John Award last year.

"The traditional Convocation activities oflong standing have been continued by theoutgoing Committee in a more than satis­factory way. Tickets for the annualGraduation Ball continue to be sold outwell before the event - a measure of theenthusiasm of graduands for this fittingculmination of what is a great event intheir lives. The Convocation seminarscontinue to be held, on matters of publicconcern; those on the future of the Uni­versity environment in 1974 and on Drama,Education and Society in 1975 were wellattended and their proceedings publishedwith the kind assistance of TUNRA Ltd.

"But in addition to this, we have instituteda large number of new ventures, again witha success-rate which has been, I mustadmit, somewhat surprising - and exreme­ly encouraging.

"Last year saw the first Newcastle Lecture,in which, as you know, Sir Garfield Barwickwas our distinguished speaker.

"Another new activity has been the Ballfor Graduates, which has brought togethermany students from the earlier days of theUniversity and College, and which is to becontinued this year in a modified and evenmore enticing form.

"Our questionnaire to all graduates of theUniversity, enquiring as to their career sincegraduation, has brought a high level ofresponse and provided information not onlyof interest but of great potential use.

8

Mr. Brian Relf, a BA graduate who isBusiness Manager of a Newcastle firm ofconsultant surveyors, is the new Wardenof Convocation.