The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-01-13
lust WHAT DID
GOVERNOR mean
State University Supporters
Think His Utterances Were
Not Well Founded.
CONTROLLED BY REGENTS
The Present Course of Study at State
Institutions Are Established by
em-"Trespassina" is
Not Believed.

NermiIlion, :. D., Jan. Just what
Governor Elrod had in mind when he
declared in his message that there is
too much Latin taught at BrookingS
and too much mechanical engineering
Mt Nermillion" no one hereabouts seems
to know, but the majority of fair-mlnd-
ed citizens declare his uttcrances IN
regard to "trespassing" as not being
well founded.
Two years ago, after material inves-
tigation and careful deiberation, the
board of regents, in which is vested the
care and upbuilding of the state edu-
cational institutions, decided to cStab-
fish a department of engineering AT the
university. Necessary equipment was
purchased and the department. now III
its second year, is II lusty infant, haV-
ing thirty students. not including the
many young men who are taking pre-
paratory studies leading to an engi-
neering course.
The state university has in no way
trespassed upon the rights of the asrl-
cultural college in making such depart
ure, but is merely proceeding along
lines laid down in sister states. FOR eX-
ample Minnesota and Nebraska, IN
which states university and agricul-
tural colleges are combined. maintain
the regular engineering courses In con
nection with the university department
and have separate engineering courses
in the agricultural departments. The
idea followed in these instances and
others that might be cited Is that 1t Is
within the province of the university To
develop and train engineers and In the
scope of agricultural college work TO
produce and educate the artisan.
Michigan, Kansas and Colorado are
prominent examples of sister states
having engineering departments In both
university and agricultural colleges.
The courses i'm the universities are
along the lines taken up by the Uni
versIty OF South Dakota. Now that the
department has been established, cur
tailment of it's funds and usefulness
would mean radical rctrogressioll
of the university from It's present place
among state universities.
We might suggest that the new gov
ernor is treading upon ground with
which he is unfamiliar. Upon investi-
cation he will find many other courses
on the curriculum at Nermillion that
are duplicated at Bookings. The va,
rious groups economics, history
mathematics and national sciences
foreign languages business course. mu
sic, etc. are taught at both inSlitu
lions, and the great majority OF these
subjects are peculiarly the subject mat
ter OF " university.
Surely Governor Elrod cannot believe
that the regents have trespassed upol
the rights of the Bookings institution
any more than they have upon Thu
rights of the state university in givnt
instruction In languages not onl,
Latin. but French and German, an'
various other courses that neither Gus
tom nor the Morrill, act" place upol
the curriculum of an agricultural col
leEe.
The regents, however. when deter
mining departments and courses O
study ut the various state institution
are not actuated by desire to benefi
any particular institution to the eXclu
sion of another; rather they desire I
conserve the best interests OF all con
cerned. The rights of Brookings or tn
rights of Vermilllon neither deferred no
actuated the regents In the establish
ment of the engineering department a
the state university. The regents ~
planning an institution that. as Sout
Dakota grows, and financial resource
become greatr, will be the pride {
every citizen.
There Is ample room for the univel
sity and agricultural college along til
plans laid down by the regents. Fac
has it's own field and the regents al
endeavoring to increase the sphere {
it's influence. The step of the regent
that actuated the seeming protest {
Governor Elrod against trespass wa
merely an effort by them to place tt
university in the field of education a
lotted Il by all precedent in the histor
of university development.