Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1920-01-29

and It is really dangerous for the
holding Of meetings. The seating ca
pacity is now too small for the student
body and when the attendance in
(creases to an appreciable extent there
will be found no place where all the
students may assemble for religious
exercises to say nothing Of other meet
|ings.
The Physics building was construct
ed before the Civil War and still
houses Physics and Astronomy. The
equipment is altogether insufficient
and little of it is modern. This de-
partment has actually had only six
teen hundred dollars appropriated for
equipment in the last twenty years.
The equipment of the Law Library
the University Library and for the va
rious schools and departments Of the
institution has been so inadequate that
hundreds of students throughout the
state have gone to other states to OBJ
tain University education.
To prove the dangerous condition
that some of the older buildings are in
is only necessary to recall that two
years ago when the legislature was in
session the whole side Of one Of the
dormitories fell in and the only reason
no students were seriously wounded or
killed was due to the fact that no stu
dents were in that part of the building
when it collapsed. This is a fearful
responsibility the state continues to as
sumo by not repairing these old build
ings and constructing new ones.
Since the chartering of the Univer-
sity more .than three quarters of a
century ago no gymnasium has been
provided for the physical welfare of
The students. Just few months age
the United States government estab-
lished in the University a department
If Hygiene, making an appropriation
Of nearly ten thousand dollars to make
this department worth while. This
iepartent has charge of the physical
training of the students but finds it
self without a gymnasium in which to
give proper courses of instruction.
This department should either be abol-
shed or the state should make pro-
vision for place in which to proper
ly conduct this work.
The University of Mississippi re-
ceives direct from the state the least
support fund of any other State Uni
versity in the Union.
Notwithstanding the trials that the
University has had to undergo during
the last fifty years, it has maintained
a high standard of scholarship. This
it was enabled to do with small at
tendance of years ago. But the end
has been reached. The attendance
has practically doubled during the past
six years. 1t is seeking to function
on exactly the same support fund 1t
had when the student body was ap-
proximately one-half of what it is to-.
day. State pride, as well as the right,
the youth of our state have to- OBJ
tain University education in their
home state, demands of the Legislature
that relief be given and that the Uni
versity be placed on a par with the
best Universities in the country
: The most urgent and immediate
needs of the University, without which
it can no longer efficiently function
are as follows:
Ample dormitory facilities for men
and women.
A chemistry building containing up
to-date laboratories and provided
with class rooms; these class rooms to
be used by professors in other depart
ments who are now without sufficient
class rooms.
A support fund to meet the in
creased attendance and to pay living
salaries to members of the faculty.
A gymnasium to care for the physl-
cal welfare of the students.
A repair fund to repair and make
safe the old buildings on the campus.
Funds for the equipment OF the va
rious schools and departments.
The total appropriations to the UNI
versity during the past twenty years
amounted to :. 1850. 81 ,95l ,fof ~
Total interest on Federal
and Land funds /. ..... 845,96o.4l
Total cost to state 81, 107, 794.36
This is an average appropriation OF
u 4l~rrS