The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1918-09-07
COLUMBIA WILL
BE ARMY CAMP
AFTER OCT. 1
Big University Will Open as
Training School for
Officers.
FOUR 3 MONTHS COURSES
President Butler Announces
Educational System Will Be
Abolished During War.
FOUR 3 MONTHS COURSES

On the first day of October the educa-
tional system of Columbia University
will be tucked away among moth balls
and the great institution on Morningside
Heights viii become an army camp and
training school,
On that day Columbia will become
military reservation. commanded by an
army officer. Absolute military disci-
pline will be enforced and Columbia will
be as distinctly an army training camp
as Is Upton out at Yaphank. The college
and university courses which have been
1s4 years in the building up will give
way at crash to an intensely con-
densed three months military training
designed to At men between 1S and As
to be officers OF the National Army.
Beginning october /. and working
twelve months in the year instead Of
nine. Columbia-or Camp Columbia as
It may hereafter be known-purposes to
feed into the military mould as much
civilian material as can be handled to
turn out thousands Of the 10000 or TO-
900 new officers that Uncle Sam desires
in short order. Work will be commenced
upon about 1000 applicants from all
parts Of the country; All Of these will be
enlisted in the United States army. wili
receive an enlisted mans pay of $50 a
month. will grind steadily every day for
three months at the fundamentals Off
GERS must have. will live in barracks
upon the university grounds and will be
subject to military discipline.
To Get Ready at Once.
\ telegram received yesterday by
President Nicholas Murray Butler from
the War Department proved to be the
most important communication that ever
flashed into Columbia's executive offices.
This telegram was virtually an order
from the Government to scrap the uni
yersity's educational organization and
n.ethods and to get ready at once to con-
vert 1t into a military school strictly.
The order was not unexpected as intima-
tions had already been received from
Wa wLshington that most, or At least very
.:,any. OF the country's grcat educational
INSTITUTIONS would be made into military
training SCHOOLS. The next day or so
will see may large institutions Of learn
ing in all parts OF the country tackling
the difficult Job Of reconstruction.
The FIRST thing President Butler did
was phone his department heads and
principal advisers among the faculty
These met in his office yesterday after
noon. with Col. John p. Finley, U. S. A.,
who Is to be the commandant of the new
army post. After several hours of dis
cussion the main details OF reconstruc-
ton were worked out and committees
were appointed to prepare Columbia for
ats war service. These committees were
at work we'll into last night and expect
to toll daily until the applicants for
training flood into the Registrars office
After the initial conference. President
Butler explained the vast change that
must come about--a change which sim
ply wipes Columbia OFF the map as It
has heretofore existed and makes it a
hurry UP West Point. The plans for
this change imply the fullest measure
Of cooperation with the War Depatt-
nient In the task Of training many
thousands OF men to become officers in
the new army. and Columbia's share in
the work, as stated by President Butler,
will mount into the thousands OF trained
officers.
Work TO he ReorEanixed.
To accomplish this Job the entire work
OF the university will be radically re-
organized at once. and on October 1 CO.
iumbia will become a military camp
under the command of Col. John F. Fin
ley, who has been detailed for that pur-
pose by the War Department. All male
students between the ages Of Is and As
who, after registration, may be put by
draft boards in Glass IA, or who may
be accepted for limited service, may en-
ter Columbia instead of awaiting as
signment to cantonment. II they are
accepted at Columbia, after physical ex-
animation. they will become members
of the Student Army Training Corps.
in the hope and expectation of hitting
themselves to receive commissions.
All OF these students will be members
of the United States Army, will wear
uniforms and wilt be under strict mill
tary discipline and control. As Col.
Finley stated before the faculty confer
ence yesterday afternoon. emphasis must
be placed on the strictly military side of
the new work Columbia is TO Do. There
will be no goings or comings from the
camp grounds except by pass. as is the
case at any army camp and men will
be marched to class In disciplined, or
Derby fashion i:stead OF going heIter
skelter The students will receive a pri-
Yates pay of $40 month. and the Gov
erninent will pay for tuition. board and
lodging.
While enrolment in the S. A. T. C. is
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