The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1917-03-24
Fee System No Part of Some State
Schools.

Fee System No Part of Some State
Schools.
To the Editor of the Capital:
The airing of personal grievances
by Prof. H. L. Butler, dean Of the fine
verSity, does not disturb me in the
least. l have yet to know of a single
instance wherein the fee system has
been attacked IN any branch or de-
partment of government that those
affected did not strenuously oppose its
abolition and maintain that to discOn-
tinue it would work destruction and
havoc. The advocates of adjustment
of the fee system have IN almost every
instance been dubbed the enemies
of the department of government af-
fected. His continued opposition is
therefore no more than what l had
anticipated.
If any injustice has been done in
my discussion of this subject it has
been in not especially calling at
tention to the fact that this fee sys-
tenn has not prevailed in the Fort Hays
Normal or in the Pittsburg Manual
Training School, and it might be IN
teresting to note a few facts with
reference to those institutions.
At Pittsburg a few years ago the
board entered into a contract with a
certain professor to have charge of
the chapel music, the chorus, and gen
| eral school room instruction in mu-
sic for which he was to receive sal
airy of 500 per month. In addition
| he was to be privileged to give pri-
| Vate lessons on the piano and was to
receive over and above his salary all
he made from his private lessons. He
| at once began to build up his new
''fine arts" department. 1t grew until
he could not attend to all his pupils
so he arranged with some of his ad-
vanced pupils to do instructing on
the basis of being paid by him forty
cents out of every dollar which they
| earned He was charging as high as
| $3.50 per half hour lesson. Some
] three or four years ago it was found
| that his extra fees were amounting
to in the neighborhood of 5000 pei
month and the system was changed
| This professor refused to remain up
| on a fixed salary basis so was re-
leased from the service. According
| to the records on file in this Office to.
| day the Pittsburg institution is now
carrying four members of the faculty
| in this fine arts department on regu.
1 lar salaries, none of whom receive
any extra fee allowances, the charge
for lessons has been almost cut III
| two in the middle, and yet the depart
ment is more than self supporting tt
to the state. The fine arts department
| at the Hays Normal is conducted
| without resorting to this fee system
| and If l am correctly. informed the
faculty members of this department
at each of these two institutions ranl
well up toward the top in their pro
feSSiCnS.
Each of these institutions carrie!
on extension work both as to CORES
pOndence courses and special lecture
work done outside the institution an
| the members of their faculties carry
ing on those feature make no extra
charges for such services over anC
above their actual travelling expenses
! It is this kind of service that con
tend the people and tax payers of tn,
state have right to demand of thei1
Salarled professors as well as othe1
salaried employees whose time is sup
posed to be paid for by the state.
make this statement not to be partia
to any institutions, but to do justic,
to the loyal professors who have con
tinued to perform these services with
out asking extra compensation whel
they possessed full knowledge tina
the practice of allowing extra pay TO
j the same kind of service was in vogu,
in the other state educational insti
ttions, and also prove that fee
can be eliminated without injury I,
the institutions. Fred w. Knapp,
| Topeka, Kan. State Auditor