Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-05-16
ABSENCE OF PROFS.
STIRS REGENTS
uoroatter Written Consent Must
Be Obtained to do Out
side Work.
PROTESTS ARE FREQUENT
,.,s,ructors Need Many Explanations
BEFORE They Decide to Sign the
New Contracts.

BECAUSE few professors at the
r-r,verslty of Utah have seized pro-
,sssional opportunity so thoroughly
~. tho forelock that their university
work has seemingly taken place OF
secondary Importance. the regents
,,ove decided to take decisive action.
In order not to appear personal u
,,ou, contract. STIMULATING that outside
work. Is prohibited, except on the
,,rItten consent of the regents mas
hten sent to each professor, and he
T.e been asked to return 1t signed.
i5-re who were engaged in re-
search. or professional activity that
,nnroved their abilities as faculty
7r,,,bers. and kept them In touch
,yith developments in their chosen
delds. were not aimed at and IRON
these came a salvo of disapproval ana
objection, as they considered the con-
ttact might wish to limit their OPP
nortunities to build themselves up
professionally. on repeated assur-
snces from members Of the regents
and the president that the new rule
Was intended for liberal interpreta-
ZION. and for applica ton only when
professors have allowed business OPP
pcrtunities to get the better part OF
GOOD Judgment, and to cause slack
ening of reward for the duties or
tcacners and department heads, TO the
stucents seeking information ana
knowledge, all but three signed IT.
These three are DR.. r. r. Lyman,
head OF the engineering department.
who has projects under way in south
crn Utah. Or. Il. c.. Gowans. who
recently accepted a position as Judge
of the Juvenile court, and u. g. over
strom, professor of mine, plant, and
rill design. DIR. James Il. Talmage'
who holds the chair of Deseret Pro-
lessor of Geology, is not affected by
tho new ruling as the terms oil ms
present contract cover the case. He
has frequently served as n mining eN-
PERT for large companies. as well as
aE expert in chemistry and geology.
SMALL SIZED TEMPEST.
Before a final understanding IN the
matter was reached there was small
sized tempest brewing. on the east
bench. Or Gowans addressed let
tel to the regents holding that the
action befitted regulations for grade
school teachers and not college pro-
fessors. supposed to be giving time TO
original research. Other professors
wanted to know what about the books
they were writing, and DIT. Ebaugh
wanted to know the effect of the new
ruling on professional research work.
one and all were assured that they
would not be hurt by the ruling, and
one by one they signed up.
COMPLAINTS FILED.
The difficulty has something Of a
history. running back over several
wears AS western Improvement
work gave an enlarging field for the
securing of contracts, several tech
nical classes found themselves in the
hands of students acting as assistants
10 professors, while the department
heads were away on their private en-
terprses. Complaints were filed,
ana the dissatisfaction grew. while it
precipitated q lively discussion on the
campus of the ethics of outside work,
ana the limits within which it ought
properly to be carried on. AS the net
result. the regents took action in
the form OF the following letter, which
was sens to each faculty member
April "a. along with his contract for
next years service;
You have been appointed, with