The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1919-05-14
university j
Investigation
Committee Reports on Recent
Petition Signed By Students
of the University

Columbia. May IA clean sheet
was given the University of South
Carolina. its officers and faculty and
its student body in the report of the
organization committee Of the board
of trustees, made public this even
ing. This committee, consisting OF
Governor Cooper. T.. P. Hollis, of
Greenville, and d. r. Coker, Of Harris
vile recently investigated conditions
at the university. The report was
unanimously agreed upon by the mem
bers Of the board of trustees, with
a few minor and immaterial changes.
The full report of the committee
was not handed to the press. the
board giving out portions OF 1t 1or
publication in a dictated statement.
The committee and the board take
the interesting position that Ii condl'
tions arise which threaten the honor
abe traditions of the university. and
remain uncorrected by the faculty,
then the student-body, in dlSiliied
and confidential manner, may dlrcc'
the attention of the board OF trustees
TO such conditions. Such a petition
said the statement, should De pre-
sented in such manner as not 10 IN :
vite a publicity which may magnify
and distort the situation in the pupilc
mind" Regularity Of procedure IN
the meetings is necessary anu ''is
students are called TO tahe eoe
nizance of and condemn any Vlolaeioi'
of the confidence of the stuoeht ooes >
such as the publication of the recent
netition and the report of the meet
| ing at which it was adopted.
! According to the dictated state
ments given out this afternoon the
committee's report. after discussing
the disordered conditions incident TO
the war period, goes on to say: No
withstanding these things, whIch Were
in the main unavoidable, the sluoehe
| BODY at present as whole is oolns
GOOD work. and the organization OF
tho university seems in all vital re-
sDects to be functioning normally ana
properly. Quiet ID good order pre-
vail among the ,dent BODY.
Discussing the varied student body
activities, the recent petition and the
assertion that there appears 10 be
gradual understanding among the un-
dersraduates that they are "reSponsl-
Bile in a high degree for the manage
ment of the university" the commit
tee offered the following recommen-
dation. according to the statement,
which was concurred in by thS board;
.If the conditions which threaten .the
honorable traditions Of the university
are not corrected by the constituted
authorities in reasonable time. the
students might properly direct the at
tention of the trustees to the matter.
provided. however, that it be done in
such a manner as not to magnify: the
situation, and provided. further, that
it be done in confidential and digni-
fed manner.
we believe, however. that only
the most extraordinary and tlasrant
tconditions-such conditions as do not
and are not likely to arise--would
warrant such action by the student
body, and when such action is taken,
it should be presented personally by
the president of the student body,
or by selected committee of rep
resentative students, and not in q
form to invite publicity which may
. magnify and distort the situation in
the public mind. The student body
must be held strictly accountable for
the legality and regularity Of its
| meetings and the student body itself
should investigate, take coGnizancc
of and condemn any violation of the
confidence of the student body. such
as the publication of tle recent pc
tition and the report of the meeting
at which it was adopted
The q,;iet and order obtaining at
present among the students are a
subject of remark in the committee
report because the confusion and IN
teruptions incident to the war might
have led 10 a belief that such were
not to be expected. Suggestions
looking to strict attendance at the
classes and a sufficient amount OF
work to K .p the students busy were
adopted Provision likewise was
made for a minimum amount OF work
and required standard OF schol-
astic efficiency for participation in
| athletics.
In an endeavor to broaden and
expand the educational work Of
the university the board called upon
Governor Cooper to appoint COM
mittee to work out a plan of co-opera-
| ton between the University and
| Winthrop College. so that the schol-
astic endeavors Of the two institutions
would not conflict.
Both the committee and the board
expressed the view that ''now is an
auspicious time to raise the standard
of graduation so that the Cniver-
sitys diploma will be the equal Of
that Of any other and of all South
ern institutions.i' Likewise it was
/ agreed that the standard require
ments of the amount and quality Of
| the students work should be raised.
| and that no student who does not
show the ability and promise to do
good work and to build character
should be allowed to remain 1T the
| University.
The employment Of an alumni sec