The protagonist, John Cromer has a rare and extreme form of rheumatism. He's the first disabled person at Cambridge University. Allowing him to break dress code in order to go to a non-compulsory ceremony is fine but installing a phone in his room so he can communicate effectively is NOT ALLOWED!

This is ridiculous ...

Oh, ...

Yep, ridiculous. The reason might solely be that the academic tutor resents his own phone.