CONVOCATION AND ITS STANDING COMMITTEE - 1924 ONWARDS The.proposal.to.replace.the.Senate.with.a.Convocation,.comprising. members.of.the.first.Standing.Committee,.five.were.women:.four. all.graduates,.had.been.made.in.1913.by.a.Joint.Committee.of. in.Arts,.Music.and.Education;.one.in.Medicine. Enquiry.appointed.by.the.Council.to.look.into.the.University’s. The.Convocation,.which.first.met.on.29.April.1924,.elected.as. constitution.and.needs..The.Joint.Committee.also.recommended. its.first.Warden.Morris.Mondle.Phillips,.a.lawyer,.now.master.in. that.Council.membership.be.broadened,.which.was.to.have.the. equity..When.he.retired,.in.1934,.he.did.so.to.join.the.Council. effect.of.reducing.the.proportion.of.graduate.representation,.the. (of.which.he.had.earlier.been.a.member),.a.precedent.followed. Senate.having.elected.20.out.of.the.23.members..These.and.other. by. a. number. of. his. successors.. T.P.. McInerney. had. also. been. changes.were.prescribed.by.the.University.Act.of.1923... nominated.but.lost.to.Phillips.in.a.ballot,.52.to.41..Tribute.was. Convocation.could.elect.only.10.of.the.31.members.of.Council..It. paid.to.his.courtesy.and.dedication,.and.on.9.September.a.special. could.make.its.own.standing.orders,.appoint.its.own.Warden,.and. meeting.of.some.40.members.collected.£75.for.a.testimonial.–.his. was.to.hold.an.ordinary.meeting.at.least.once.a.year.with.special. portrait.by.John.Longstaff,.which.was.destroyed.in.the.Wilson. meetings.as.required..To.conduct.business.meanwhile.it.was.to. Hall.fire.of.25.January.1952..Both.Convocation.and.its.Standing. elect.a.Standing.Committee.which.would.report.to.it.annually. Committee.continued.to.meet.at.the.Presbyterian.Assembly.Hall. and. at. other. times. when. necessary.. The. Standing. Committee. in. Collins. Street. until. August. 1925,. returning. there. in. 1942. was.to.consist.of.the.Warden,.ex officio,.as.chairman,.and.not. after.gathering.for.some.years.further.west.at.the.Law.Institute’s. less.than.40.other.persons.(the.highest.number.actually.elected. rooms,.then.in.the.Port.Authority.Building.in.Market.Street.. has.been.44).who.must.be.members.of.Convocation.but.neither. When. the. Standing. Committee. took. up. its. major. activity. members.of.the.Council.nor.solely.or.principally.employed.by. of. approving. or. amending. legislation. sent. to. it. by. Council,. the.University. .. each. Professor. whose. department. was. concerned. with. an. Though. some. had. argued. against. maintaining. the. bi-cameral. item. attended. to. introduce. it. on. Council’s. behalf,. though. system.for.University.legislation,.the.Standing.Committee,.like. in. his. absence. the. Registrar. might. act. as. his. substitute.. This. the.Senate,.was.empowered.to.“amend.any.statute.or.regulation. inconvenient.arrangement.was.modified.until.the.Chairman.or. submitted.by.the.council.for.its.approval”.and.return.it.so.amended. Vice-Chairman. of. the. Professorial. Board. alone. introduced. all. for.the.Council’s.further.consideration,.but.could.not.originate. legislation..Most.items.were.readily.approved,.but.amendments. legislation.. Like. Convocation. itself,. the. Standing. Committee. were. frequent,. from. minor. ones. in. the. interests. of. clarity. or. was.entitled.to.submit.for.Council’s.consideration.any.suggestion. consistency.and.often.accepted.by.Council,.to.those.involving. relating.to.University.concerns,.and.be.informed.of.the.result..It. a.matter.of.principle..Further.explanation.usually.persuaded.the. must.report.on.any.matters.referred.to.it.by.Council.. Committee,.but.Council.too.might.be.persuaded:.an.objection. For. the. purposes. of. electing. the. Standing. Committee. and. to.an.amendment.of.the.Discipline.Statute.led.to.further.changes. Councillors,.graduates.were.divided.into.classes,.by.Faculty.or. which.it.was.hoped.would.meet.the.Standing.Committee’s.views.. groups.of.Faculties.(Arts,.Music.and.Education.constituted.one. The.power.of.decision.lay.with.Council,.but.by.various.measures. class),. the. number. of. representatives. to. which. each. class. was. it. tried. to. ensure. that. its. enactments. and. amendments. were. entitled. being. as. near. as. possible. proportional. to. the. number. understood.and.promptly.passed..The.Committee’s.protests.on. of. graduates. in. each.. It. was. for. Council. to. determine. these. the.few.occasions.legislation.was.acted.upon.before.review.received. numbers.and.classes..New.faculties.were.joined.to.an.existing. a. ready. explanation. and. apology.The. Standing. Committee. class:.Commerce.to.Arts,.Music.and.Education;.Architecture.to. occasionally.pursued.its.right.to.submit.suggestions.to.Council,. Engineering. The.representational.arrangements.of.1923.were. Arts. and. Education. representatives. seizing. the. opportunity. at. otherwise.undisturbed.until.1938,.when.the.numbers.of.graduates. the. second. meeting. in. May. 1924. to. draw. Council’s. attention. according.to.their.faculties.were.recalculated.and.arrangements. to.the.“unsatisfactory.nature.of.the.arrangements”.between.the. made.to.ensure.that.then,.and.in.future,.faculty.numbers.would. School.of.Education.and.the.University.(a.reference.to.the.dual. be. reflected. in. the. number. of. their. representatives.. Of. the. 40. control.of.Education.professor.and.staff.by.the.University.and. the. Victorian. Education. Department).. Meetings. were. sought. and. held,. and. Council. was. favourably. disposed,. but. as. with. other. matters. raised,. funds. and. time. were. needed. for. success.. Usually. the. Committee’s. initiatives. arose. from. the. legislation. before.them,.or.from.their.desire.to.support.the.University.or. its. Vice-Chancellor. in. times. of. difficulty. and. challenge. from. within.or.without..A.number.of.motions.and.papers.of.this.kind. have.been.thoughtfully.prepared.over.the.years.to.forward.to.an. appreciative.Council... For. many. years. the. press. was. invited. to. meetings,. and. could. convey.a.picture.of.a.meeting.livelier.than.that.in.the.minutes..On. 10.February.1927.Arts.representative.(and.MSc).Alfred.Hart.had. brought.forward.the.matter.of.University.finances,.inadequate. then.and.long.after..A.committee.was.formed.with.the.University. Association.and.Hart.wrote.a.comprehensive.paper.urging.that. support.be.marshalled.internally.and.from.the.professions.and. Committee.of.Convocation.-July.1960 business.when.the.University.approached.Government.with.its. (Photographer unknown. University of Melbourne Archives. UMA/1/2702). submission. setting. out. its. needs.. No. improvement. in. funding. 10 having. resulted. from. successive. approaches. to. governments,. matters..Premier.of.Victoria.John.Cain.also.commanded.a.large. Hart.and.others.called.into.question.the.ability.of.the.Council.as. attendance.in.1982.for.his.“Labor.in.Victoria.–.the.first.years”.. established.by.the.1923.Act.to.secure.public.support,.and.a.sub- During. this. period. the. Wardens’. reports. became. increasingly. committee.was.appointed.to.report.on.its.composition..The.Argus. informative. reporter.present.was.attracted.by such.parts.of.the.discussion.as. By. 1968. the. Standing. Committee. was. entitled. to. appoint. a. justified. the. headline. “Convocation. criticizes. Council”,. and. a. representative.to.attend.meetings.of.each.Faculty,.and.to.certain. flurry.of.letters.to.the.editor.followed.from.Sir.John.Macfarland,. Council. committees.. The. representatives’. reports. provided. a. defending.his.Council,.Hart,.and.Warden.M.M..Phillips.who. fresh.view.of.University.life.and.problems.and.occasionally.an. supplied.some.context.to.take.the.sting.out.of.the.article.while. opportunity.for.contribution..In.1972,.however,.Convocation.and. maintaining. the. propriety. of. examining. the. composition. of. the.Standing.Committee.found.themselves.again.considering.their. the. Council.. The. sub-committee. recommended. having. more. role.as.the.movement.which.finally.led.to.the.establishment.of.the. Convocation. representatives. and. fewer. from. certain. outside. consultative.University.Assembly.gained.momentum..A.working. groups,. and. the. matter. was. dropped. In. 1959. the. Registrar. group.was.formed.in.March.to.follow.these.developments,.and.to. asked.either.that.the.press.be.no.longer.invited.or.the.Standing. consider.proposals.to.maintain.and.increase.the.role.of.graduates. Committee.consider.its.present.mode.of.debate.–.an.intervention. in.the.University,.which.was.overlooked.in.the.debate..The.first. generally.opposed,.but.turned.by.the.Warden.into.a.unanimous. to.come.into.effect.was.a.change.of.name.to.Graduates.of.the. affirmation.of.the.right.to.exclude.the.press.from.whole.or.part. University.and.Graduate.Committee.respectively,.the.Warden.to. of.a.meeting..The.press.was.indeed.asked.to.leave.in.November. be.now.President.(decided.upon.by.the.Standing.Committee.on. 1962.-.for.the.Registrar’s.address.on.impressions.of.University. 17.May.1972,.approved.by.Convocation.in.April.1973,.and.in. administration.in.the.UK.. force.by.1975)..A.Graduate.Office,.sought.by.the.working.group,. Wardens.from.time.to.time.sought.to.broaden.the.Committee’s. was.opened.by.the.University.in.1982,.though.its.function.was. interests,. and. from. 1929. speakers. from. within. the. University. to.support.the.new.Alumni.Association.and.evolved.into.that. were.invited.to.address.meetings,.business.permitting..A.pair.of. of.the.Development.Office..Wider.distribution.of.an.improved. talks,.one.on.the.nature.of.muscular.movements,.the.other.on. Gazette.was.also.recommended..At.a.special.meeting.on.4.May.