Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-06-12


tent effort to approach the policy of
the appointing Of year-round coaches
of the highest personal charactcris-
| tics rather than easonal coaches no
| matter how desirable the latter may
be. Athletics, thus in the mind
of the Board itself, as we'll as in the
| mind OF the university administra-
| ton, becomes a logical part of
| system Of year round physical train
| ing, which in turn, is merely a phase
| of the general preparation for life
which university must give its
| students.
Affecting students Of both sexes,
are two matters Of interest to be
considered.
First. The organization Of gradu-
ate students. The number of these
students have increased tremendous
ly at the University and this had
made advisable a more definite type
| Of organization to deal with them.
For some time Professor George
Davis Chase, as chairman Of the
faculty committee on graduate study,
has been primarily responsible for
| the standard of that work, and has
untiringly attempted to increase its
standards and numbers. This he has
been markedly successful in doing
! and the fact is now recognized in his
| appointment as Dean of Graduate
Students, by action of the Board of
Trustees at their meeting yesterday.
Two other minor matters involving
| the exclusion Of members OF the
faculty Of PROFESSIONAL grade as
| candidates for degrees in the Univer-
sity. and charging tuition fees
similar to those charged under
| graduates, in the case of graduate
students not members of the faculty,
| are also worthy Of mention as mark
| ing further steps in the organization
of this work
| Second. The appointment Of a
standing committee with three men,
bers from each college and with the
head of the Department Of English
as chairman eX-Officio, to consider
the students use of English. A mat
ter of particular Importance to this
committee Is the question of admis-
sion requirements in English. and of
! freshman English. There appears to
be a gradually increasing feeling
that more nearly a project method
should be used in the teaching of
! English. The secondary student and
the freshmen appear in a majority
of cases to be receiving English of a
| type which they cannot well digest
! While the work of this committee is
in its earliest stages, feel justified in
saying that its appearance as an
active body marks an important op-
| portunity for increasing the efficiency
of teaching this all-important sub
| ject.
| Among the matters which are to be
Instituted at the beginning of the
| coming year, the one which, appears
| most worthy of comment is the estab-
Hshment of what may be, for want of
a better term. called Freshman week.
This simply means that all freshmen
in the University will be required to
report for the opening of the college
year on September 18th, while the
i upper-claSsmen are not required
to register before the 18th. During
the week between the 18th and 18th.
opportunity will be given and will be
utilized to study carefully and individ-
| ually the members of the freshman
class with view to determining their
fitness for any college work, and be-
yond that their fitness for the particu-
lar college that they desire to attend.
This will be done by personal confer
cnce. by examinations, and by psy-
Geological tests. In addition. the
freshmen will be instructed in methods
Of learning. They will be given first
hand information as to how to use the
library. They will be INSTRUCTED in
taking notes on lectures and from
| their reading. In supervised study of
the notes so taken. and in written work
based on these notes. or other sub
jects.
In addition to these matters, and in
fact of possibly greater Importance.
will be the opportunity to educate the
rac i,, Ioh Or ,riry y; Ii,
and of right living. 1t will be posi-
BILE for us to acauaint them with the
| customs of the University and to place
in their minds at the outset the atti-
tude of the University towards a
whole-hearted participation in Chris
tian activities. and we believe that by
the end OF the week we shall have a
far smoother working and a better
equipped group of freshmen than
would have been available before
| Thanksgiving. or even the end Of the
first semester under the old admission
| system.
Matters Of General Interest to the
| Alumni
| In addition to the questions Of policy
| outlined above, there are three other
matters of interest to alumni and
| friends of the institution. The first Of
these - the bequest under the will of
Oliver Crosby. This generous remem-
brance of the University was charac-
| terstic of Mr. Crosby's attitude
throughout his lifetime. OF shy and
somewhat retiring nature while in col
1ege. he took from the University a
great love for it. This expressed it
| self in a confident interest in it's
problems and will now be made mani
! fest to future University of Maine men
and women in the laboratory for me-
! chanical engineering which will be
erected as result Of his bequest.
| The second matter is that of the re-
lation with the S1st Legislature. At
the outset it is only proper to say
that the vast majority Of the members
| Of that Legislature showed willingness
to attend to the requests of the Univer-
sity. eagerness in cooperating to bring
about their fulflllment. and willingness
| to place themselves on record in favor
! of the carefully prepared budget which
| the trustees had presented. 1t has
| been stated by those who hold posi-
| tons Of high authority that it is not
| the function of the college president or
of the board Of trustees to mingle in
| politics. Placing before the political
| machinery of the State the actual
| needs Of its university is clear duty
Of those charged with the administra-
| ton of that university. To adopt any
| other course might be convenient for
! the legislator or executive, but would
| be lodging the issue and failing to
| fulfill a public duty. 1t is impossible
| to give to all those who are deserving,
however, credit for the work which
they have done. I should however,
| like to cal, to the attention Of the
| alumni the records of the discussion on
| the appropriation asked for by the
| University. A perusal of these will
civ oil Ior T.