Adelaide University Students Protest Graduation Venue Change

Bonython Hall on Adelaide's North Terrace holds memories for countless students of the former University of Adelaide.

The heritage-listed limestone, gothic-inspired building was the venue for all of the university's graduation ceremonies since its construction was completed in 1936.

But the historic venue held its last graduation ceremony in March, after the merger of the University of Adelaide and the University of South Australia.

Students of the new Adelaide University will now graduate at Pridham Hall; a multi-use facility on the former University of South Australia's City West campus.

The change has devastated current students at Adelaide University.

The 24-year-old is studying medicine, and began his degree at the former University of Adelaide in 2021, prior to the merger.

"You receive your degree whether you attend the ceremony or not," he said.

"The point of the ceremony is the connection to that historic past, the legacy of the university and being a part of that alumni community of nearly 100 years of previous students before you."

Adelaide University's Vice Chancellor Professor Nicola Phillips said the decision for the venue change was made last year before she started in the role on 12 January.

"We're a much bigger university now," she said.

"The decision was made for very positive reasons so that we could offer the very best graduation experience to our students.

In opposition to the change, students have started a petition urging Adelaide University to allow legacy University of Adelaide students to graduate from Bonython Hall.

Ilya Aidman is one of the students that started the petition, and said it now had "up to" 650 signatures from current students, alumni and former and current university staff.

"The University of Adelaide has been around for a long while," he said.

Mr Aidman said students were not consulted when the decision was made to change graduation ceremonies from Bonython Hall to Pridham Hall.

"A big part of how the Adelaide University was sold is that it was a coming together of two institutions with each of their unique heritages, and the heritage buildings on the Adelaide University campus are a really big part of that, absolutely we think that all students of the Adelaide University would be really excited to graduate from Bonython Hall, and that's a really important part of moving this university together."

Since the creation of the petition, Mr Aidman said students had met with university staff to discuss Bonython Hall, and that conversations were still "in the early stages".

"The people that we met with were really helpful, and they were looking forward to hearing the student perspective and incorporating that, but there was a little bit of a disconnect between what they could say to us, and I guess, what they saw the way forward to be and what the substance of the petition was," he said.

Professor Phillips said the university was looking to "activate" the entire campus to be a part of future graduations.

"Including Bonython Hall, which I completely understand has a real symbolic value, particularly for many of our University of Adelaide students," she said.

Professor Phillips would not speculate on exactly how Bonython Hall could be used, but said "there are all sorts of options" and promised the university would be engaging with students about what they wanted.

"I can't talk to conversations that might have happened at the end of last year, but certainly we've been very open and we'll be seeking to be more open about the reasons for the decisions with students," she said.

"Nothing's been concealed. But I think hearing what students are now saying, we can very clearly understand that they feel that they don't have the perspective and the information that would allow them to understand the decision, so we will work harder to make sure that we explain it to them."

A place for students

Isobel Richardson, who created the petition along with Mr Aidman, said the switch to Pridham Hall from Bonython Hall was symbolic for how students felt throughout the merging of the two universities.

Ms Richardson is studying a Bachelor of Mathematical and Computer Sciences and a Bachelor of Music and Jazz Performance.

She said Bonython Hall was constructed for students, and one of its intended uses was for graduation ceremonies.

"They built it on a slant so it couldn't be used for dining or dancing," she said.

"It had to be used for lectures or for graduations. So it's really disheartening that they're taking away that piece of history from it".

The construction of Bonython Hall in the 1930s was made possible from a £40,000 donation from Sir John Langdon Bonython, the proprietor of the Advertiser newspaper.

According to the SA History Hub, Sir Bonython had "firm views" of what the hall should look like and where it would be built.

The website states "a persistent story about the design is that Bonython insisted upon a sloping floor so that the hall would not be used for frivolity such as dancing".

"It would be really good to see the university honouring the space for students and being able to have a space that was designed for students be used for the students," Ms Richardson said.