The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-01-21
POINTS OUT NEEDS
 OF THE UNIVERSITY Formal Report Is Submitted to
 the Governor NEW BUILDINGS WAIVED Needs of Big State School Have Been Set Forth in Pamphlet Form and Distributed Among LcgisIa-
 ture's Members
NEW BUILDINGS WANTED


 school. These needs, along with an ex- -rfanation of them, have been put into pamphlet form, and distributed among | the members of both houses of the legis-
 lature. to which body they have been of- | ficially submitted by the states chief ex- ecutive.
 l Needs of the university are not confined
 to the buildings at Tuscaloosa, but to the medical school at Mobile as well. They | call for a number of new buildings, and | if satisfied will demand heavy appro-
 priation at the hands of the state solons. New buildings are requested for library,
 living hall for women, Young Mems Christian association structure, medical
 building at Mobile, and several. additions | to present structures. .....-.... | The committee, which is composed of
 Hubert T. Davis, Hugh Morrow and | Thomas M. Stevens, urges that compli- ance with these laws will establish such a greater university as will favorably compare with any institution of its kind | in the United States.
 Especial attention Is called by the com
 mittee to the raising of standards at the y, past four years, which period the report is designed to cover The result Is de-
 clared to be closer articulation of the university with the secondary schools of the state.
 Growth of the university during the past four years Is shown in the following at tendance table for the four sessions: Nineteen hundred and six and nineteen
 hundred and seven, 467; 19O7-0S, I66; 19oS-o9,
 5e1; 1s09-1o, 611 This enrollmehp does not | include the attendance of pupils at the
 summer school. The committee declares tl.at a good improvement for the universi- ty to make would be to establish school of business of collegiate grade.
 The most pressing material needs of the university are as fololws 1. A library building Our library equipment is very inadequate, occupy | ing a limited space in building used | for other purposes Under existing con- ditions expansion is out of the ques- | ton, yet the present space Is over crowded, 1t being impossible frequently l to accommodate all students who de- sire to use the library. Besides, the
 
 struction by fire, and, if burned, many of them could not be replaced. The library is tho working labora- | tory of the various departments of the lcollege of arts and sciences, and is essential to all of the schools and col lleees of the university It Is perhaps | the most important material feature
 of the institution and should be well equipped and supported.
 | It should be kept In mind that our | library was burned in 1865. and as | result the collection of books, in number and worth, Is far below the average of those of other institutions of like age and rank A special ap- propriatior ia needed for the erec- tion of fireproof building. and an annual appropriation for the purchase Of books.
 g. A gymnasium building. The present gymna sium, like the library, occupies small space in building and used for other purposes, and is very insuf- | f1ciently equipped.
 The physical development of stu dents is as essential as their mental and moral culture. Indeed, their intellec- tual and moral attainments depend | largely upon proper physical train ing. Great mental strength is rarely found coupled with a dwarfed physical nature.
  sion should be made for the erection, equipment and maintenance. of gym nasfum which will meet the needs of all our students. et 3, A living hall for women. A tpres- ent three old residences formerly oc- | cupied by professors are used as dormi- | tories for women students, and only about 30 can be accommodated com- | fortably. Meals are served in com mon dining room and the, houses are | so scattered as to render 1t necessary | for ma jority to expose themselves when the weather is indictment. The policy of receiving young wom- en as students seems to be perma- nently established, as is the case at practically all of the state universities l If this be true, it is clearly the duty | of the state to make better provision | for them. We need immediately liv- 1 ing hall sufficiently large to accom- modate from 100 to 150. It should be
 so arranged as to include an assembly hall and the laboratory equipment nec- essary for offering courses in. domestic | economy. No courses designed espe- cially for women are now offered. With such building, great and pressing need could be met Unless we provide for our women the best of higher education, they will be forced to go without 1t. or at greater cost to seek it elsewh ere. Our high school sys- | tenn Is suffering now on account of an | inadequate supply of university trained | women teachers.
 1 A. building for Y. M. c. A. No in-
 stitution can afford to neglect the moral training of its students, for
 without 1t mental and physical culture amount to nothing. A separate we'll appointed building Is needed. Such Q building could serve also as social | center for students. | At present the Y. NJ. c. A. occupies \ small space in one of the dormi- | tories It stands to reason that the best results cannot be expected under existing conditions.
 | s. larger chemical laboratory The building occupied by the oh emical lab oratory was erected over 20 years ago, and was planned originally to accommodate about one-third the num- | Der of students now taking courses in | chemistry, Every foot of space has been utilized, and further expansion is ab- solutely impossible. Either a new building must be erected or the >oid | one enlarged.
 | 6. Enlargement of law building. The building occupied by the school of law needs enlargement and equipment. This building also accommodates the gym nasium, and if a new gymnasium sh ould | be provided could be so changed as | to meet the needs of the school of law '. Medical building at Mobile In or | der that our work in medicine may continue to advance and be recognized i! by tho standardizing agencies of the country, it will be necessary to ifn- prove the library. laboratory and clin~ l ical facilities. This will necessitate an | enlargement of the building. as well as the purchase of additional library