Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-12-26

for buildings both tecitstionsl and labora-
tory. in connection with these depart
ments. Unless a Consolidation scheme on
one campus is brought about. there Is no
escape from a duplication Of buildings,
administrative force, faculty and operation
necessary to do the work required.
students Now AttendinE.
Seventh: We have at the present time
In the College Of Engineering i95 students
in the College of Law, 1872, and the Col
leges Of Medicine and Pharmacy, 1914. To
house the College Of Engineering a mod
ern building has been erected and equipped
on the downtown campus. The question
arises that II a consolidation OF the col
leges named in paragraph 6 takes place,
what would be the best thing to do with
these engineering students? We are of the
opinion that they. together with all the
undergraduate students Of all the colleges
named in paragraph g. are entitled to the
larger life of a consolidated institution,
aud we hope that the time Is not far dis
tant when they will enjoy IL; but during
a transition period these students could
occupy their present buildings at a mini
mum administrative and operative cost,
until such time as buildings could be
erected at the State farm to house me-
chanieal and electrical engineering and in
this regard we are reminded that only re-
Gently the dean Of this college, in pre-
senting the needs of his department stated
that the Electrical Engineering department
was In urgent need Of a new building and
equipment, and that the cost would ap-
proximRte a large sum; and in this con-
nection we are reminded that the Agri-
cultural college student must have oppor-
tunities for securing education along me-
chanical and electrical lines. That the de-
mands of modern agriculture make this
absolutely necessary, and that in the de-
velopment of the Agricultural college, en-
gineerng must be considered; also that
one Of the buildings now being asked for.
to be built at the State farm, is In con-
nection with the Department OF Agricul-
tural Engineering; all these are facts
which lead us TO believe that a future de-
velopment of separate plants would entail
much duplication along these lines.
Location of Present Campus.
Eighth: 1t is well known that the pres
ent university campus is most unfortu-
nateIy located, standing as It does upon the
western edge Of the city, abutted close
by the railroads and Agricultural imple-
ment jobbing district. and cornering what
is known as Haymarket square, the smoke,
dirt and noise incidental to the traffic
that must be carried on there making it
a most undesirable location for the uni
versity plant to be maintained and de-
veloped. Physical conditions make it inn
possible for the city to expand very much
either north or west of the campus, so that
the natural and only growth Of the city
is gradually farther and farther away
from the city, thus neeessitating the stu
dents living In more contested part
of the city or seeking their rooming
houses at an ever increasing distance from
their class-roomss We believe that the
problem of maintaining and developing
modern university with its requirements
amid such an environment is impossible
of solution. Sss-g.lss ~ g g.. -.,-.. 49,.
Ninth; The area of the present campus
is about ten and oDe-half acres. In addl-
ton to this there ~ an athletic field of a
block, which cost the state two years ago
over $4,000. This block contains about
two and one-half acres.
Cost of Extension.
In the report presented by the majority
of the members of the Board of Regents,
attention is called to the fact that our
Is about the size of the original
Harvard campus, and that the last legis-
ature by voting money to buy the ath-
letic field endorsed the policy that future
extension should be by the gradual ac-
quiring OF property contiguous to the pres
ent campus as the growing needs OF the
require. We are strongly of
the opinion that for the state to announce
a policy that It will gradually acquire
land around the present campus as It's in
creasing needs make II necessary FOR II to
do so, would be very unwise. 1t Is a temp
tation for people to, speculate in advance,
knowing that some time or another the
state is very likely to need the land. There
is at this time in the office OF the super
intendent OF construction a framed plan of
a proposed extension Of the present univer-
slty site, prepared by q leading Boston ar
chitect This plan eontemplates the dis
and moving of several OF the
present buildings and the acquiring of the
property north Of the athletic field to
the railroad tracks, a portion of which Is
sometimes, at certain seasons Of the year,
inundated with water to a depth OF several
feet. and also the acquiring OF the north
half of the two blocks south OF the present
campus The present appraised value of
this land is $4,000. There is also another
scheme talked Of-that of going east on
r street and the acquiring OF several
blocks We find the appraised value OF
this land to be $4,000 Neither OF these
plans would give the university a campus
more than thirty acres In extent and a
portion OF it would then be divided by the
public streets. In this connection we want
most earnestly to call the attention of
your excenenoy and the members OF the
legislature to the fact that at present
university has a campus of 100
acres or more and that almost every uni
versity of distinction in our country has
found that # Is absolutely necessary that
abundant room be provided for their grow
ing needs From a careful investigation
Of present property values immediately
contiguous TO the city campus, on the east
il would cost $4,000 per acre north of the
present athletic field, $4,000 per ac7e and
on the south, $4,000 per acre.
Advantages of state Farm.
Tenth: Situated nearly in the center OF
the laid-out residential part OF Lincoln and
suburbs the state owns 800 acres Of land
called the state farm, and upon It are
buildings used in connfctlon With the Col