Knox College: Ex-students have their say

Former Knox College students give their views on moves to change traditions at the 103-year-old college.

• Students rail against plans to ban rituals

Michael Bridgen

I was a student at Knox in my fresher year in 1994, and spent a lot of my time in 1995 there with friends who stayed on for a second year.

Certain of the traditions were daunting, to a person from a country town new to so many people, but none were observed in other than good faith and good fun. In fact, in the spirit of colleges everywhere, many traditions evolved to the purpose of challenging and breaking down just those initial sheer faces of bashfulness.

I know I'll come across like a grandfather, though I'm not even yet a father, to say that the insistence on "best practices" sounds like specious justification for a very narrow-minded view of tertiary education. In other words: It never did me any harm.

Simon Holliday -

I am one of the many "exies" who strongly object to the changes proposed by the Presbyterian church, under pressure from the University. It is well known that the University has long been placing pressure on Knox College and its governing body to drop "College" from the title and replace it with "Hall." This change was supposed to be one of many steps toward eliminating the elitism that is supposedly rampant. They (being the Presbyterian governing body, under influence from the University) are now proposing a much wide sweep of changes, many of which have a very dubious legal background, in order to mainstream Knox, and bring it into line with other halls of residence.

Soon after leaving Knox, while a Post Graduate student, I wrote an article, later published by the English department in a book called "a Culture of Change" examining the cultures of Selwyn College, New Zealand's oldest Student College, and Knox College, New Zealand's second oldest, and longest continually running College. My research very clearly showed a culture that was bright, vibrant, and healthy, and one that strongly fostered the type of long term friendship that you so frequently hear touted by halls of residence, but which so seldom exists. I was a groomsman at a fellow exie's wedding a year ago, and in 3 months an exie will be the Best Man at my own. Our friendships last forever.

Some of the proposed changes, and I name here but a few, are completely unnecessary: Renaming the Buttery (our licensed bar) the canteen, banning pre term community events (held at exie houses throughout the country), banning term time community events, abolishing the dinner dress code, abolishing the Sunday dinner dress code, and eliminating initiation ceremonies.

The supposed elitism of Knox is not elitism in a negative sense, it is pride. Pride that is justified, and earnt. I arrived at Knox as a farmboy from small town school, my family lived well below the poverty level, and I was accepted. My Knox girlfriend was a small town girl doing a BA, and was accepted. A friend who will be one of groomsmen in May, was from a wealthier family and doing medicine, and was accepted. People from all walks of live arrive at Knox, and are forged by the traditions and culture into a family that truly lasts a lifetime. We are proud of our college, and I see no fault with that.

The vast majority of Knoxies, past and present including myself, accept that change must be made to keep the Knox culture up to date, valid in today's society, and safe. Alcohol reform is part of this, and something that we all agree with. What we all strongly object to are the sweeping changes clearly designed to eradicate our traditions and reduce Knox to the same level as other halls. Knox has (you can check this) over twice the returners rate of any other student hall of residence in the country. That says more about the college than anything I could say.

Why should Knox be forced to abandon its traditions, traditions that have stood for a hundred years? Why should Knox be forced to lower itself? It would make far more sense to put time and effort into instilling a culture and associated traditions in other Halls of residence, if University wishes to push for equality.

This is New Zealand's tall poppy disease at its worst.

Jack Liu -

It is simply disgusting that the Presbyterian commission is attempting to destroy the rituals of Knox college. These rituals have ran on for more than a century and to change them is like driving a bulldozer across the college and destroying the magnificent infrastructures. Knox is one of the only colleges in Dunedin where you get to know and befriend every single member of the 200+ students and staff. It is these rituals that gives them a sense of belonging and welcome. Don't fix what is not broken. Leave Knox alone!

Rebecca Gates -

As a recent Knox resident I am greatly upset by the changes that have been proposed to the College. In your article on the 15th of Feb, Mr Barker was quoted as saying that removing the requirement for semi-formal wear and similar changes to Knox were designed to make it more "welcoming, nurturing and supportive." I have never found Know to be anything other than welcoming, nurturing and supportive, and cannot think of any justification for these changes on this basis.

One of the reasons that we have been given for these changes is the removal of 'elitism' from the college. This is ridiculous. 'Elitism' is only harmful when it is used as a vehicle for the exclusion of people. The traditions and rituals which the commission is so keen on getting rid of are in fact what attracts residents, and gives us all something in common, no matter our schooling, social background, gender or race. These common ties and experiences are what glues us together and draws almost all of the residents back for a second year.

When you take these away, Knox becomes just another hall, where freshers eat, sleep and study, before leaving after one year. Perhaps this is what the commission wants, but I have actually gone to Knox and experienced exactly what living at Knox means. I think that this is appalling, and am willing to fight to preserve the institution that I love.

The way that the commission has rushed though these changes is disgusting, especially the way that they only told residents for 2012 about the changes after the due date for the first fee payment. Some of these students will have worked extremely hard to get the money for fees together in time, and they are now being told that what they are getting is nothing like what they paid for.

Further, Knox College Students Club (KCSC) is a incorporated society, run by the residents, for the residents. The way that the commission is removing control of their budget is not only insulting to the ability of the elected representatives to manage the affairs of the KCSC but legally questionable.

Finally, a note on alcohol. Whenever anyone writes about Otago students these days all they seem to want to talk about is drinking. We are not upset about the drinking rules. Operating in a safe and legal matter is essential, and alcohol reform was needed. Knox College has been undergoing substantial reforms around its drinking rules in the past few years, at the initiation of the Master and in consultation with KCSC. Residents knew that there would further reforms this year, due in part to the legislative changes which soon come into force. This is not what the residents and alumni are angry about.

If dramatic change was needed at Knox there would have been clear signs. The number of applications for residence would have dropped, the number of returners would have decreased, Knox would be struggling to find good employees and there would be significant financial difficulty. None of these things have happened. Knox College has a vibrant and inclusive culture which deserves to be preserved.

Murray Cochrane -

I was never a hostel student because I lived in Dunedin with my family in the late 60s and early 70s when I attended OU to obtain my LLB/BA degrees.

However, when the first of our sons, Craig, began at OU about 14 years ago (where else would he go after all?) I was delighted when we applied for and he got into Knox College.

My wife and I were even more delighted when, in time, the remaining three boys wereall accepted to go to Knox as well. All four boys spent two years each at Knox over a total of about 11 years and we and they are convinced that was why they adapted so much better to then going flatting. We must be a rare family to have had 4 sons attend for a total of eight years at the same hostel. We can with some certainty assert we know what we are talking about.

We are also convinced that the vast majority of the traditions at Knox are positive. What can possibly be wrong about providing in a properly managed and controlled way models of good behaviour at some meal times each week? What can be wrong about encouraging young people to develop as young adults in the way that Knox has been doing?

During those years and now we have lived in New Plymouth, a long way away from Dunedin. We needed to know our children would be safe and get the best possible start to their lives as they left home for the first time. Knox did that for us.

We knew of other families here who were trying to get their children into Selwyn to follow earlier siblings back then but being turned down as Selwyn changed its focus and traditions. We became aware of disappointments when Selwyn seemed to not think families wanted this kind of tradition and to know that each child sent to a hostel would go at least in part because families knew how the hostel operated and performed.

Knox has provided a welcoming environment, clear and sensible rules and boundaries and has successfully young people in a way that families like and appreciate for their children. Why change so radically something that ain't broke?

I am personally appalled that the Church has acted in the radical way it has and I suspect that the overwhelming majority of the parents of children who have been at Knox while Bruce Aitken has been the Master will have similar views. We know how the experience has benefited our children. The Church clearly does not.

Dr Peter Jones -

As a former Knoxman (1985-6) it is with great sadness that I read of the recent ousting of Mr Aitken as Master of Knox College, and the plans to water down of the traditions of the College.

In 2009 I had the pleasure of returning to Knox for the centenary celebrations, and found the College to be in fine fettle. The spirit and values of the College were strong and the students I met were courteous, mature, and clearly products of a ‘nurturing welcoming and supportive' environment. Mr Aitken deserves great credit for this.

The comments in the recent article (15/2/12) insinuate that the attitude towards alcohol at the College was an area of concern: what I observed was quite the opposite, with a far safer and mature attitude towards drinking evident at College compared to my experience as an undergraduate in the 1980s.

The continued successes of students in all fields of academic, sporting and cultural endeavour while at College and the fondness with which the College is remembered by those of us who passed through, also give lie to the perception that the traditions are somehow outdated and inhibiting. The reality is that these traditions encourage a sense of belonging and fellowship not seen anywhere else in University life in New Zealand. This point of difference should be celebrated and encouraged, not emasculated.