The Fayette falcon. (Somerville, Tenn.) 190?-current, 1918-06-07
State Board and Prof. Brister
l.. A. Lyon, Chairman of Com
mlttee Investigating Con-
ditIon Talks.
NASHVILLE Banner May 2s, Isls.l

a member of the State Board OF Ed
ueation, was called Friday to the ar
ticle appearing in the Nashville papers
in connection with the recent action of
the State Board in failing to re-elect
Prof. j. W. Brister as President of the
West Tennessee Normal, in which G.
C. Hanson, another member Of the
Board from Memphis, was quoted.
MIR. LigOn offered the following
statement in reply:
II regret very much that Mr., Bris-
ter's friends have seen fit to continue
this matter in the public prints, for
the reason that any further agitation
can be harmful to the school and can
do Prof. Brister no good. However,
that those interested in the matter,
and especially in Mr. Brister, may not
have false impression and be prejudi-
.ced against the Board in the perform
ance of what it conceived to be a duty
to the institution itself, / wish briefly
70 make this statement.
''In the first place, there were no
charges against Mr.. Brister, and it
was not at any time an effort to oust
him from his position in the school.
His time as such President expires on
the Both day of June of this year, as
does that Of the Presidents of all State
Schools. The act of the last legisla-
ture requires the election of the facul-
ties of these schools at the May meet
ing of the Board, which was recently
in session. 1t was simple matter of
whether or not Mr.. Brister should be
reelected for another term, The
Board thought it best for the school
over which he had presided for the last
five years that he should not be re-elect-
ed. Five of the members present took
this view of 1t and three Of the men,
Der took the opposite view and thought
he should be retained. Mr.. Hanson be-
longed to the latter group"
"At the regular meeting in February,
Mr.. Hanson brought the matter before
the Board offering a resolution IN which
he named three members Of the Board
as Committee to investigate certain
rumors of lack of harmony In the
school, and the committee was en-
powdered to act arbitrarily in the mat
ter and dismiss from the school any
teacher, from President down. whom
the committee thought it proper. This
resolution, after being opposed by sew
eral members of the Board, was with
drawn, and no action was taken by the
Board. Afterwards it developed by a
meeting of the faculty that there was
division in the faculty with regard to
Mr.. Brister, and demand was made
by Mr.. Brister and MIR. Hanson that a
committee be appointed to investigate
the situation there. In accordance
with. this demand special meeting of
the Board was called and committee
appointed. of which committee was
appointed Chairman. Mr.. Brister's
name was not mentioned in theresolution
ordering the investigation, and neither
was Ithere q charge of any kind. 1t
only directed the committee to investi-
gate the conditions in the school as to
the alleged lack of harmony and report
our findings TO the Board at its Nav
meeting"
This, the committee did. We ad-
opted the only method we could think
of which would give US reliable infor-
nation as to the Il ue situation, by
taking the testimony of the faculty
themselves, who comes in daily contact
with the school work. We accordingly
took the testimony of every member of
the faculty. the matron of the girls
domitory, the housekeeper and the
superintendent Of the grounds and en-
gineer, and Brister. as well as the
President, twenty-five in all. This
testimony was taken in short hand.and
and filed with the Board, Ewhere 1t can
be seen by anyone interested"
From this testimony the committee
made its report, simply Of what it
found. withou. any recommendation,
whatever. A copy iof the testimony
was furnished each member Of the
Board and Mr. Brister, land when the
matter came to 9 vote 10 the Board
meeting > majority Of the Board
thought under the circumstances shown
By the proof, 1t would not be wise to
re-elect Mr., Brister."
There was no desire on the part of
sngone 20 injurs Mr.. Brister, nor to
deal with him unfairly in any way and
such was not the case. He was given
every proper consideration. he was
not present when the testimony was
being taken for the reason that, bad he
been allowed that privilege, any other
member Of the faculty could as justly
-lafr..,4 that nrixsfnr-o We uwor. sl,.s :,