The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-05-01
A NONPARTIsAN VIEW.
X. U.-Agricultural College Row Dis.
cussed by an Outsider.

l
cussed by an Outsider.
Representatives of the state univer-
sity and state agricultural colleges
nave had their say concerning the fuss
between those two schools, and now
the scrap is discussed from the stand
point of disinterested spectator who
occupies high official position at
Washburn college.
This Washburn college man is thor
| oughly posted about the merits of the
controversy, and his statements tend
to eiucidate the situation, from a nom
| partisan standpoint. The Washburn
man seems to think that both sides
are at fault, but that the state agricuI-
tural college is chiefly to blame.
| In the last ANALYSIS says this
| tween Kansas university and the ag-
ricultural college is fight for more
students.
"The state university claims that the
agricultural college is getting students
| for its engineering school under false
| pretenses. The agricultural college. it
| is charged, pretends to offer an engi-
neering course which is the equiva-
| lent of that offered at X. U. Kansas
university claims that while this course
! is to outward appearances the same
as that at K. U. and leads to the same
degree. 1t really represents only about
half as much actual work, and that the
standards of admission to the school
ments at K. U.
| kansas university claims that the
| low standards Of the agricultural en-
! cheering school, = the abbreviated
course. and the degree offered all tend
| to draw students to the agricultural
| college for a course in engineering
which is partially, at least, a fake. A
| student will take this agricultural col
| lege course instead of preparing him
! self to take the more difficult university
| engineering =
! cultural offers the same degree that is
| given at K. U. The result is apparently
! to discredit the K. U. course. for the
agricultural college, it is claimed by
! K. u, tries to make it appear that a
| student can get just the same work
there they can at K. u, and can get
! it in half the time.
| LAS matter of fact, the agricultural
| college pursues similar policy in most
| Of it's courses of study. They are clip
| ped in length, so that graduate from
| the agricultural college has really put
in about as many hours of recitation
| as are required at K. U. or at Washburn
| to complete the Sophomore year.
"As I understand it, Kansas univer-
| sity will be satisfied If the agricultural
college will stop trying to pass off its
! engineering course and engineering de-
gree as the same thing which is offer
| ed at Lawrence. It hasn't any particu-
| lar objection to the agricultural col
| 1ege offering a short course in engi-
neering, but as the offering of such a
course in the way it is offered.
kansas university itself is not any
, too high in it's standards of admis-
sion, and the agricultural college is
| much below the university. An agree
ment was entered into some time ago
between the leading denominational
| colleges of the state and the state uni
versity to require a certain number of
credits of courses to enter the Fresh
man class. This was agreed upon so
| that the standards of education in the
state might be kept as high as posi-
BILE. After making this agreement,
Kansas university abrogated it on the
ground that some of the high schools
could not qualify students for admis-
sion to the university under the pro-
posed standard.
Kansas university is therefore to
some extent pursuing the same course
as the agricultural college-lowering
| it's standards of scholarship in order to
get more students. The less strict a
school makes it's requirements for adj
mission, the more students it will get,
and the lower will be the standing of
the school in the matter OF scholarship.
If the agricultural college wants to ad-
NIT students to it's college course from
the eighth grade of the common schools.
it certainly has the right to do SO
but it should not pretend to be doing
| the same grade of work that is done at
| the schools of the state which are try
| scholarship, corresponding as closely
as possible with the standards of cast
crn colleges"