The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1910-02-06
Welfare Com mittee
C harg e S Barringer
With Carelessness.
"HAS NO CONTROL
OVER STUDENTS"
Declared in Report to Have Mis-
represented Conditions at In
stitutc-Fifty Printed Pages
Tell of Alumni Grievance
Against President ~.
of v. P. l.

President Paul Il. Barrinscr, of the
Virginia Polytechnic Institute. is de-
clarcd TO ,have misreprcscnted condi-
tions at the institute. and is alleged
70 have declined information TO tho
committee appointed by the alumni TO
Investigate conditions. according TO
the report of tho welfare committee.
made public yesterday morning. The
president is said to lack tact and initia-
tive. is said to have made speeches
thnt were not creditable to the IN
stitutc. to have violated the rules of
the institute, and to have ignored the
heads of departments in administering
the affairs of the Institute.
The committee also charges that he
has been careless and lax in his dis
ciplinc and has failed in the exercise
of moral restraint over the students.
These charges are made in detail. in
report that covers more than fifty
printed pages. While some of the
charges have already been made. 9TH
ers have not been in print, and are
now being scanned by those who are
interested In the States technical
school.
Discuss His Fitness.
After explaining how the commit
tee came to investigate conditions, the
report discusses the qualifications
which are generally deemed necessary
for the president of college like V.
p. l., and declares that DIR. Barringer
has not demonstrated his fitness and
capacity for administering the affairs
of the institute. In explaining this.
tho committee cites large number of
letters. received from presidents of ag-
riculturl colleges throughout the
country, discussing the necessary
qualifications for such an officer.
The report then introduces a num-
Der ofrstatemcnts taken from tho rec
ords of the institution. which arc said
to be entirely erroneous.
I'VE purpose to prove says the re-
port. that DR.. p p. BarrInser. the
president OF the Virginia Polytechnic
Institute. has repeatedly made erronc-
Gus and misleading statements and un-
warranted deductions. We purpose to
let tho following evidence, submitted
as preferred charges against the pres
ent administration. suggest to you the
probable origin and motive attached To
each"
Aside from inaccurately reporting
the number of students in various
courses at Blacksburg, DIR. Barringcr
Is said to have misreprcsented the
size of the institute herd and to have
published figures which deceived the
board Numbers of other matters arc
cited. all intended to show that DR..
Barrinser would not give the board
an accurate picture of conditions nj
Blacksburg.
Did Not Watch Legislation.
1t. Barringer is also severely scored
,oF not having watched the progress of
legislation during tho last session OF
the Assembly. On this point the renort
reads: W
And yet 1t appears that the nres-
ident did nothing towards watchin. 40
passage or endeavoring to amend tte
! provisions. 1t was clearly his dutv
IN person or by representative. n
! Keep careful watch over every hill
introduced during the session in any
possible way affecting the interests o,
| MS school And when the bill beco me-
a law apparently no effort, certainly
no successful effort, was made to So.
cure representation for the college or
the new commission. The president al
| the university IS it's chairman and viii
! draw up the report. Will care h.
taken to protect the interests of tho
coileSe IN this report? Has the re.
! port been shaped or hearing riyer
] to representative of the Eirrintr
/ Polytechnic Institute? VIII any efror,
be made to ascertain the nature OF tho
report before It's submission to tn,
Legislature? If the report shoulc
| threaten injury to the college, will Il
be broush before it is made an act
Important questions these, demandin.
great watchfulness. prudence and tact
! and, above nll things ready resource
fulncss on the part Of the president
Can he meet these demands? Has II,
not been most supne in the Who'll,
matter thus faro
His Public Uttcranccs.
In referring to DR.. BarrinEer's pub
lie uttcrances, the committee writes.
The president has been very prolifi,
in addresses at public gatherings Gov
ering diversity Of subjects. Th,
1 question is, have these addresses beer
of any benefit to tho college? The on,
delivered bforc tho state Farmers In
4 stltute at Richmond In 1908 was criti
i cized by several intelligent hearers a!
!, puerile. and the one delivered at thu
salno Institute at Charlottesville th'
4 past summer almost emptied the hal
during its delivery. All of his pub
lished addresses which have como un
der our notice show a crudeness O
Thought, incapacity for clear and ac
curate expression and are mostly note,
for their rash and dogmatic assertions
This is really not surprising, since h
lis presumlng to speak on subject
widely removed from the profession
In which his past life MAS been spent
1t is only fair to the facts howeve,
to remind you that President Bar
ringer has written very little even O
medical subjects Mitch has been pub
lished."
pr. Rarrlnger Is also said 20 hay
made important changes In the car
riculum of the. Institute without cor
sultatlon with the professors involved
and is said to have made bad I'M
preston on the Senate Finance Com
mittee when he appeared before 1t I
December,
A to Faculty Meetings..
Regarding tho much discussed slla
II lcontinucd on Third pagc.lr