The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1920-09-24
A. & M. COLLEGE
MATTERS DISCUSSED
CONTINUED from first page)

sell was named as a member of the
board of trustees in the early part of
the year 1918. He was made a men,
Der and chairman of the Executive
Committee of the Board of trustees
for the A. & NJ. College at the am
nual meeting Of the board in 1918,
yet there was never a meeting of
the Executive Committee after he be-
came a member of it; Gov. Russell
never called one. He was evidently
too busy playing politics to have the
Executive Committee meet and go ov-
er the affairs of the A. & M. College
as such committee vas expected to
do. Had he had a meeting Of the
Executive Committee, it is at least
possible that he would have been able
to have familiarized himself with the
business end of the affairs of the Col
lege and perhaps learned something
of the problems with which the trus-
tees had to deal.
/ was not the custodian of any of
the funds of the A. & M. College or of
any other institution under the direc-
ton of the trustees. l had no author
ity whatever to check on any of them.
l was a member of the board and
auditor for the board.
] have not visited the A. & NJ. Col
lcge nor have l seer the records in
the S~ecretary's office since. October
came Secretary. / am therefore not
in a position to know what has trans
pired since that date. Indeed it would
be impossible to speak accurately as
to figures and balances eve at that
date from memory unlesc | had some
data to refresh my memory, but / do
know in a general way about the rec
ords of the College and the policy
pursued while Mr.. Powell's preleces-
sol was Secretary.
The law requires a biennial report
from all State institutions. These re-
ports are prepared by the institutions
and r published by the Secretary
of State for the benefit of the public.
1t is indeed a pity that our Governor
has nOt a the time to read and an
alyZe the last biennial report of the
A. & NJ. College. DIR. B. NJ. Walker,
vice president of the A. & M. Col
lege, stated in his published communi-
cation of September 16, that, "The
biennial report submitted to the last
Legislature will show the departments
that were Overdrawn at that time and
the amounts of overdrafts. The bien-
NAL reports of previous legislatures
will do the same thing, if carefully ex-
amined."
1t was the policy of the board of
trustees named at the same time l was
honored with an appointment on the
board to observe strictly every legal
requirement or regulation. AS / re-
call. we found three of the institutions
placed under the direction of the
board in debt. l am quite SUR that
the University and the A. & M. Col
lege showed quite q deal on the wrong
SIDE of the ledger. So earnest and
so persistent were the trustees about
not allowing expenditures to exceed
appropriations and getting the Col
leges cut of debt, that | as Secretary
prepared a number of orders at the
instance of my fellow trustees which
were adopted by the board, all OF
which tended to throw every possible
restraint on those who contracted OBJ
legations in the name of the Colleges
One of those orders was quoted by
DR.. Walker, vice president Of the Col
lege, in his communication already re,
ferred to. l repeat it here: at is
hereby ordered that the heads of the
institutions under the control and di
rection of this board are not expected
to spend or cause to be spent an!
funds not specifically provided for by
statute or by order of the board o.
OF the Executive Committee of the in
stitution."
But the trustees were confronted
with both conditions and theories.
am sure that the policy inaugurateC
by the gentlemen named at the sam
time l was made a trustee was fol
the good of the institutions. / an
sure that the colleges showed a fal
better financial condition when tn
term of a majority of those gentle
men expired than when they first en-
- tered upon their duties. The worl
was systematized. There were quit
a number of things Topped off AM
many useless expenditures discOntln
ued. But the handling of the bust
ness end of these colleges is no small
matter. 1t was impossible in four o
six years to entirely change what ha'
been developing for a period of TWEEN
ty five years or more. There are ye
some things that might be Topped OF
or discontinued, and particularly i
this true at the A. & NJ. College
without in any way impairing tn
efficiency of the Colleges.
The public does not know tina
there are a number of accounts car
ried on the books of the Secretary
Office at the A. & M. College which i
a matter between the College an,
those who make the accounts posi-
bic. In a measure, the College play
the cart of a banker for the students
Deposits are made by the student
u1cn entrance as an advance collec
ton on board, at least this was tn
policy. At the end of the month, tn
total cost of the mess hall OF boarding
department is ascertained and tn
amount nrOrated among the students