The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-12-18
NEEDS OF STATE UNIVERSITY
REPORT TO THE GOVERNOR AND
TIE LEGISLATURE.
President Kingsbury's Recommends
tions On What Is Desired-The
Fort Douglas Tract Favored.

The executive committee of the board
of regents of the University of Utah
met yesterday afternoon to consider
the report of President ]. T. Kings
bury preparatory to a final report of
the regents to the governor and the
legislature. The recommendations of
President Kingsbury met with hearty
approval by the committee. The re-
port contains an estimate of the current
expenses for the ensuing two years,
and also mentions some much-needed
repairs. In stating these expenses, re-
pairs and improvements, the president
called attention to the fact that the
university, as it is today, is in reality
a union of three schOols-the uniVer-
sity proper, the State Normal school,
and the State School of Mines. The
needed repairs include the fitting up
of the upper part of the library by sup
plying shelves and light, so that the
room may be used by students for
reading purposes. The heating and ven
tilating apparatus needs repairing to
prevent the present waste of heat by
radiation from the pipes which carry
the steam from the boiler-house.
The permanent improvements sug-
geSted by the report are those asking
for a gymnasium building, and also for
room for shop work. The gymnasium
building should include a gymnasium
proper, the reasons for which are APP
parent; a general assembly room,
where all the students may assemble,
the largest room now available being
insufficient to hold one-half of the
students; and extra classrooms. The
reasons for more recitation-rooms
spring from two sources. Already the
training school is too crowded, and de-
fit up small classrooms in the attic.
The classes in the university are too
large and unwieldly for the various in
structors to do justice to the students
under their care. The necessity for
the shops arises from the demands
made upon the normal and mining
courses. Practice work must be done
in iron and wood, and at present the
facilities are far too meagre for the
requirements made upon those de-
partments.
The report further recommends that
the legislature be asked to make avail
able to the university the whole of the
last appropriation to the Branch Nor
NAL school, that the inhabitants of Ce-
dar City may be reimbursed for the
money they have expended in maintain
ing the school during the last year and
quarter, and that an extra sum be
appropriated to reimburse them for
money spent in securing apparatus and
furnishings, and in putting into the
new buildings an efficient heating and
ventilating plant.
|. President Kingsbury also called the
attention of the executive committee to
the fact that the tract of sixty acres
on the Fort Douglas reservation,
granted to the university by the gem
eral government, on condition of i'm
provement, would revert to the general
government at the end of five years
unless something definite be done to
occupy the land. He recommended
most strongly that some steps be taken
to secure to the state this magnificent
tract, and felt that the people of Utah
could not afford to let this opportunity
slip through their hands. He referred
to the growth and increasing demands
of the university; said that each dollar
spent on the present grounds was
money comparatively wasted, and
urged that the attention of the legis-
lature be called to the present condi-
ton Of affairs.
Acting on the presidents suggestion,
a committee, consisting of Messrs. Mo
ses Thatcher, Waldemar Van Colt and
Thomas r. Cutler, was appointed to in
vestigate the prospects and means of
securing to the state this tract of land
The committee was instructed to OBJ
tain information with regard to the
condition Of the university state land
fund, and to investigate the various
means available for permanent i'm
provements upon the tract The presi-
dent was also instructed to estimate
the cost of some Improvements looking
to the change in location.