The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-04-12
Washburn Faculty Discharges
Baseball Manager and Captain.
Capt. Robb and Manager Millice
DisObeyed Eligibility Rules.
WILLARD THE CAUSE.
Popular Pitcher Not i'm School
= Long Enough.
Signs of Instruction Among
Students.

By decree from the faculty council
of Washburn college Saturday night
John Robb, captain of the college base
+ ball team and Glenn Millice, manager of
/ Washburn athletics. were dishonorably
discharged from their positions and ex-
cluded from further work in this ca
pacity in Washburn college.
The whole trouble was the outgrowth
of the baseball trip through western
Kansas last week when the college cap
tain and manager allowed George Will
ard, a new student at the college tol
play on the team. The faculty council
declared young Willard disqualified for
the team and thinking that a mistake
was made the captain and the manager
disregarded the warning and used the
young player in the trip
| The students at the college are excited
today on account of the decree and 1t
| is said that radical actions OF some sort
will be taken to stem the tide of the
| iron clad ruling faculty. number of
| student organizations are planning to
take the matter up before the faculty in
public meeting but up to this after
noon nothing definite had been arrang-
ed.
The whole trouble seems to have been
on account of a misunderstanding be-
tWene Robb and Millice and the faculty
ruling committee. Captain Robb and
Manager Millice have always been un-
der the impression that man only had
| to be in school ten weeks to become
eligible for the athletic teamS-baSeball
especially. The faculty is under the i'm
preston that man has 20 be in school
! a whole semester or Is weeks-thus the
trouble arose.
When the team started out on their
| trip last week they took with them two
| men who were under the watchful eye
of the faculty-Miller and Willard. Mil
! Ter was disqualified on account of his
studies as the team mounted the train
steps for the trip-also Willard. 1t was
too late to send them back at that time
so the rule was disregarded. However,
when the team arrived at Manhattan
they were Joined by two other men who
had been sent for to take the place OF
those who had been disqualified. But
the game had been played at ST. Marys
| in the meantime.
Willard is good pitcher and in fact
! was the only man the college team had
on the trip to depend upon. The rest of
! the pitching staff was crippled on ac-
count of sore arms obtained at prac-
| tice during the cold weather the week
beforehand it was absolutely necessary
that Willard be used or the trip aban-
doned. Willard is the son of the Topeka
photographer and has always intended
to remain in Washburn. He is not
professional in any way and his inten-
tions in going on the trip were alto
gether from the college amateur stand
point.
Before leaving Topeka for the trip
Captain Robb informed the faculty
member who telephoned the disqualif-
cations that he was under the impress
sion that ten weeks of school were all
required for a man to enter the college
games and the faculty member was
rather hazy on the matter himself adj
hitting that he was not sure that the
whole semester rule was applicable but
| like Robb, he was also under an I'M
preston.
The team returned from the trip last
week and nothing was said of the ac-
! tons of the captain and manager. But
/ Saturday night the matter was dis
cussed before the faculty council and
| they came to the above conclusions
! If this decree holds water this
! spring it means that baseball in
! Washburn is killed for the present
| The students have been working hard
! all spring giving entertainments to
/ pay off the debts contracted last year
in order that baseball might be given
a firm hold this year. Washburn is
badly handicapped in baseball on ac-
count of the presence of a league
team in this city and several other
attractions which distract the atten-
ton of the average fan.
\ However enough funds were sub
scribed to carry the baseball team
| through the season and until this
| latest friction all was running
smoothly and the students were pre-
pairing to support their team to the
man. This late ruling of the faculty
| within the first place-exclude Cap
tain Robb from playing. Robb has
been valuable man on the team,
being captain last year. He is an all
around athlete being the star end
and captain of the football team last
fall. He stated this morning that this
decree would mean an end to his col
lege baseball work.
| 1t has been talked around pretty
! freely at the college that this blow
from the faculty was given for one
| reason-to kill baseball this spring.
1t is well known that there are a
number of professors on the council
! who are against the game because
they believe that it will mean a loss
| to the college. 1t is thought by the
general student body that this action
was taken as a final effort to smother
the game from the college diamond.
Il Captain Robb and Manager Millice
| will have nothing to say concerning
the order of the faculty. Both of
them thought they were in the right
by allowing Willard to play with the
team and they think the faculty is in
the wrong by taking the radical ac-
ton they did. They are under the
impression that it is simply an effort
to shut off baseball this spring.
/ The successors to the captain and
the manager of the Washburn base
ball team have not been named. 1t is
the positiohs-if there are such posi-
tions to fill. The fact that this
. faculty decree will mean the death of
| baseball in Washburn this year has
made the positions of baseball man
| ager and captain blank