Norwich bulletin., 1911-03-03
NORMAL.
airing Before
ee on Educa-

Is. . The Bulletin.)
Hartforo.- March 2.-Facts and fig
ures tending to show the necessity of
establishing dofmitory at Willimantic
in connection with the State Normal
school were presented to the members
of the committee on education of the
general assembly Thursday afternoon
at a hearing on the bill introduced by
Representative Dunn providing for an
appropriation of 100000 from the state
treasury for the purpose above indi-
Gated.
Those Advocating the Dormitory.
Principal A. e. Burr, who spoke at
great length Charles d. Hine, secre-,
tary of the state board of education,
Mayor ID. p. Dunn, Howell Cheney
Manchester, b. +. Smith. New Britain,
members Of the state board of educa-
ton, and Marcus White, principal of
the State Normal school at New Brit
ain, were all heard in favor of the
measure. There was no opposition.
Many weighty things were said by
the different speakers to show now
students at a normal school which has
dormitory are benefited thereby in
health. opportunity for study and So
cial culture, and also to cast light on
features of life at a normal school
without a dormitory that are not only
very undesirable but possibly danger
Gus.
Mr.. Burr told the committee that per-
sonally, If he had daughter of proper
age, he would not care to send her to
the Willimantic Normal school under
present conditions, this being said in
particular reference to the lack of dor
mitory facilities. He also quoted an
other principal to the effect that he
would not desire to be connected with
normal school that did not have a
dormitory, and others whose state
ments include the claim that the eff
cheney of such school is increased %
to SO per cent,-through the advantages
gained by having such a building
Danbury Will Withdraw Its Request.
alt is understood by what was said
at the hearing that Danbury, which
also seeks a similar structure in con-
nection with its State Normal school,
has withdrawn in favor of Willimantic
and that the effort to secure an appro-
priation will be centered in favor of the
Windham county town.
Principal Burr Speaks.
Principal Burr spoke before the conf
mittee in part as follows:
The 'Willimantic Normal school is so
situated that few of it's students can
live at home. In this respect it differs
During the present year ninety stu
dents have boarded in Willimantic,
nearly all of them the entire year.
The average price of board for full
week is $4.27, for five days $685.. The
number of available boarding places in
Willimantic is very small. The num-
Der is still further restricted by the
low price which the students are able
to pay.
Boarding Houses Uncomfortable.
Many boarding houses used by our
students are not comfortable. For ex-
ample. thirteen students have lived
during the entire year in unheated
rooms Thirteen others state that
their rooms have been insuf11cientIy
heated. In a considerable number of
cases the students bedrooms are not
suited for studying purposes and they
must do their work in the common
living room. Students cannot possibly
do efficient work under these eondi-
tons.
] have excellent reason to belieye,
although it is difficult to obtain direct
evidence, that we have lost students
who would have come had parents been
satisfied with conditions.
Dormitory Positive Influence for Good
A dormitory might be made very
positive influence for good in this
school, Many Of our students are
crude. Their manner of talking, their
table manners. their actions often show
~ Qeclue0 lack Oh culture.
Within dormitory We could insist
upon q SUFFICIENT amount of sleep, upon
regular hours for meals, could assure
ourselves that our students are eating
wholesome food and could influence
them to properly regulate their hours
for recreation and amusement.
In Connection With Summer School.
The dormitory would be very help
full in connection with the summer
sob 81 Of Ifxx,o IL Il u.1- d.
quate Boarding facilities led to a. union
with the school of the Storrs Agricul-
tural college for the summer of 1910.
While there were some advantages in
this arrangement, 1t is NO desirable
that ii should be permanent With a
dormitory much could be done in the
summer for the rural school teachers
in this part of the state.
Fine Location Available.
There is an excellent location and
plenty of room for dormitory on the
grounds of the normal school. The
normal school plant with some modi-
fcations could easily heat such build
ing and it would not be difficult to in
stall a lighting plant if that were de-
sired.
believe that dormitory would ma
terially increase the efficiency of the
school and would attract an increased
number of students.
Nothing Novel in This Request.
The request for dormitory for the
school at Wilfimanticl involves nothing
novel, 1t is the policy of nearly every
state in the country to provide dormi-
tories for schools situated as is the
school at Willimantic, and private
boarding schools and colleges every,
where have found it quite impossible
to conduct their affairs under the hap
hazard boarding conditions which we
are facing.
The following summary, the result of
a special inquiry, indicates the extent
to which other states have provided
their normal schools with dormitory
facilities: 50 schools have dorhlitories
two schools rent dormitores, seven
schools are building or about to build.
40 schools have no dormitories; 121 to-
tai responses.
Number of states and territories list
ed, 40: total expenditure for dormito-
ries. $4,994,766: total number OF stu
dents accommodated, 10000 (approxi-
mately).