Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1917-09-20

Dormitory Being Prepared for
Signal Corps Men.
First OF Nearly Two Hundred to Arrive
Next Sunday for a Period Of Six
So Months Strenuous Training.
~ No Cinch Courses.

Converse hall at the University of Ver-
mont Is rapidly assuming the appearance
Of a barracks. Preparations are being
made for the signal corps men who will
arrive on the 23rd inst. All Of the furni-
ture in the north Inc south wings Of
Converse hall will be removed to make
place for the army furniture. Several
new showers are being placed In the
basement of each section of the dormitory
to be occupied by the signal corps men.
Lieutenant Z. ]. Wessen of Boston ar
rived Saturday night and will have direct
charge Of the 15 men who will be
eventually sent to the University for
Intensive training. The branches Of the
signal corps work these men will study
will be radio work, telegraphy, telephony
and a course in electrical engineering. The
electrical instruction will be under the
supervision of Professor Freedman, who
will turn over some of his regular work
with university students to instructors.
The greater part of the men who will
be sent to the university are business men
who have been very carefully selected by
Col. Reber for special work in the signal
corps department. Among these men may
be found brokers. bank clerks, shippers
and electrical men of all sorts. They Will
be at the university for a period of five
to seven months and during this time
will undergo intensive training Of the most
rigid kind. Colonel Reber has been work.
ing fcr some time in picking the very
best men for the work, and the 100 men
who will arrive next Monday will be the
result Of his e%ndeavors. Other men Will
follow.
lieutenant wessen, who will la
charge Of tho entire work, has had two
Uergeants detailed to help him at the uni
: @rAeoStv ,,utfl tho otppp1 CnrOS has come
: ana has been located. The lieutenant
has taken up his quarters in the south
!, wing of Converse hall and he will also
have his office there. Lieutenant Wessen
, was an instructor at the institute OF
Technology in Boston before being sent
to the university. He has been in the
army for twelve years and is an expert
on electrical work. He will have charge
; Of the practical instruction. while Profess
sor Freedman will v the theoretical
work.
When the course is finished 1t is ex-
cpected that men will be turned out of the
university qualified for any branch Of the
signal corps work that the government
may require. They will be experts In
electricity. and many Of the men will re-
ceive commissions directly in the signal
corps branch of the national army. When
the men ave completed their course Of
study, they will not be sent out in one
unit, but will be detailed separately to
various stations about the country.
Plans are being made for the drilling
OF the signal corps men in military tactics.
They may drill in the same units with
the university students. This is especially
20 be desired by both the university
faculty and the signal corps men. for they
will no doubt profit by thus intermingling.
There will be no cinch courses In the
signal corps work. The men will have 46
hours of laboratory and lecture work
Avery week, in addition to the IA hours Of
study in the barracks. Sunday will be a
!Nbusy day in the dormitory, for they will
study as much then ~ on other days.
They will receive two hour of military
instruction per week. The signal corps
,1nen will eat in the Commons hall with
tho university students but not at the
same time. When the university students
iare crawling out of bed in the morning
the signal corps men will ia had their
breakfast and will probably be out on the
parade ground going through calisthenics.