The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1919-06-16
WON'T QUIT JOB
Washburn Professor, Asked To
Resign, Demands Reason.
He Thinks His Labor Attitude
May Be Responsible.
MANAGEMENT UADEMOCRATIC
That Is Assertion Made by
Member of Faculty.
President WOmer Too Busy To
Discuss Matter Today.

The requested resignation of Prof
j. E. Kirkpatrick head of the depart
ment of history and politics at WASH
burn college. has created a stir in coll
lege circles. Professor Kirkpatrick
has refused to resign until. he says,
fair hearing of his case is held This
action has brought to light many of
the difficulties which have confronted
the college during the past year and
which, 1t is said, have caused a breach
to grow between the administration
and the faculty.
No explanation has been given in
the kirkpatrick resignation. The pro-
fessor was preparing to leave for
Colorado, where he was going to
spend the summer in the state uni
versity at Boulder. when he received
word that his resignation was desired
He demanded an explanation and, ac-
cording to the professor, Pres P. P.
Womer told him that the cause of
action would be explained in a letter
to be mailed to him at Boulder.
Alumni Into 1t.
Kirkpatrick refused to resign. He
has turned the case over to the AS
ISOLATION of College Professors for in
vestigation. The alumni association
/ has also taken the matter up, it is
said.
An advisory committee of the fac
ulty was named several months ago to
investigate and report to the president
and board of trustees on all changes
in the staff of instructors. According
to them. the Kirkpatrick matter has
never been presented to them for con-
sideration
When asked about the affair over
the telephone this morning, President
| Womer said:
81 am too busy right now to discuss
| it at ALL"
! Professor Kirkpatrick is standing
| pat. When asked today the reason
! of his break with President Womer, he
said:
| Kirkpatrick's Statement.
Il have never been informed what
| the matter is, but 1 presume. my atti-
tude on the labor situation has some
thing to do with it,
Members of the faculty, it is said,
complain that they are merely figure
| heads in the management of Wash
| burn college, and have never had a
voice in administrative matters.
THE mana gementsof Washburn col
lege should be more democratic and
more representative. declared one OF
the other faculty members today in
discussing the Kirkpatrick case. land
the board of trustees should have in
its membership men from the. faculty
| and Alumni association Most sofsthe
| other colleges I'M the country have a
faculty council which assumes some
of the administrative powers"
| This INSTRUCTOR quoted from an arti-
Gle of President Sherman. of Cornell
university, which follows:
Need More Democracy.
What is needed in American uni
versities today is a new application OF
the principle of representative govern
ment. The faculty is essentially the
university; yet in the government
boards of some American universities
the faculty is without representation
The only ultimately satisfactory solu-
ton of the problem of the government
of American universities is the con-
cession to- the professoriate of repre-
senta ton on the board of trustees OF
regents and these representatives OF
the intellectual which is the real life
of the university, must not be mere
ornamental figures; they should be
granted an active share in the routine
administration of the institution"
Professor Kirkpatrick has beer
connected with Washburn for twelve
years. He has always been prominent
in the labor movement in the city, has
| attended union meetings and it is
said is one of the promoters of the
proposed Topeka union labor college
Elias Bredin, dean of the Wash
burn department of music for the past
year, resigned recently, and will go to