Morning journal and courier., 1881-06-24
Friday Morning, June 24. 1881.
EXPERIMENTS IN COLLEGE GOV


 ERNMENT.
 The students of the Illinois State Univer- sity have governed themselves for the last ten years The legislative power Is vested in Senate of twenty-one members, subject to veto by the President and Faculty. Judges are appointed by the President, and these judges hcence these students who desire it, and who pass the requisite examination, to practice as attorneys in the college court i; but any student may plead his own cause. There are laws against gambling, drinking and keeping intoxicating drinks in the dor mitories against violations of sundry rights of students and against injury of college property, etc. The penalties consist of fines, varying in amount from a few cents to five dollars. Obstinate culprits and those who refuse to pay the fines are reported to the Faculty, who retain the power to suspend or e1pel student. The working of this system has thus far been satisfactory, and it has re- ieved the Faculty of g very unpleasant bur den.
 During the last year new system of col lege government has been quietly on trial at Amherst. The Faculty say, in effect, to the students: "You have come to college pre- sumably to get an education. We are here to help you get it. We cannot do the work for you We are simply your helpers. We will give you our aid, and do the best in our power, and expect you will do your best. When you get through you shall have di- ploma. telling what you have done." To carry out this idea changes have been made in the administration which, to the old grad uates, will appear startling and revolutionary. The whole marking system, as lately in vogue, has been abolished. There is an as- signment of rank in the award of diplomas, but the old scale of 100, with its 94 plus, its third, second and first class and so on, has utterly disappeared. No longer is there any such thing as suspension from college, or expulsion. The same result is gained in another way, but no such punishment is inflicted as such. When the student enters college, so says the new theory. he becomes a party to contract. He signs the college laws and engages to keep them. It is a promise made voluntarily as one of the conditions upon which he enters college. He makes it as 8 man knowing what he is doing and intending to keep it honorably, as he would any other pledged word If this contract is broken by misde- meanor, it is as in the case of other contracts. The relations of the contracting parties cease The offending student is no longer regarded as member of college He made a contract; he broke it. Lpso JactO, his con- nection with college is ended. There is no Faculty meeting no vote of expulsion no censure. He simply ceases to be student, and has no more connection with the college than any civilian. He can attend college recitations If he chooses for they are free to visitors, but he would come only as visi- tor he would never be called upon to recite. He broke the contract, and the parties are as they were before it was made. The case is very simple, and any student can see at once the wholly new relations in which he stands to the Faculty. Under the new system, the professors and tutors are no longer police men to detect petty offenders. They do their work as teachers, and the students are put upon their manhood and trusted to conduct themselves like men.
 This system has not, of course, yet had a test sufficient to determine it's value, but its working thus far is said to have been very satisfactory to both Faculty and students. If this, or any other system, will diminish the friction in college government which makes itself so frequently and unpleasantly felt in this country, it deserves hearty vel