Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-08

words In the names OF institutions were
made retroactive, the law would in
fringe the constitutional provision
against the impairment of contracts.
Going further, the college contends
that If the Districts diploma mill law
were meant to be retroactive it would
be in danger of being invalidated since
1t would infringe that constitutional
prohibition of the impairment of con-
tracts.
- Meetings Secret.
These claims of the American Col
lege of Life Underwriters have been put
before the Board of Education at one
or more of the closed meetings at which
all questions of licensing degree-grant-
ing institutions are discussed. What
the school board will do in the face of
the colleges claims cannot be deter
mined. since the proceedings of these
meetings are not made public. 1t is
certain, however that if the American
College of Life Underwriters is licensed
| to grant its degree of G. L.. U-char-
tered life underwriter-the school board
will have altered its Interpretation of
| the law.
If the application of the college for a
| license is refused, the school may seek
relief in the courts. Whether it pro-
| poses to take this action if license is
refused it. the college has not yet made
known.
The significance of the case of the
| American College cannot be un4eresti-
mated. Besides change of interpre-
tation of the law. it is possible that it
will bring about the withdrawal of the
school boards rule that refusals of
licenses to specific institutions will not
be made public At present, the only
information which the Board Of Edu-
cation will give concerning applications
for licenses Is the bare names of the
.. institutions which receive licenses and
the degrees which they are authorized
to grant.
Licensed Institutions.
So far the only institutions to be
given licenses under the new law are
the Y. M C. A. College Of the District
of Columbia, Columbus University, Ben
jamin Franklin Business University, the
Washington College of Law, the Wash
ington College Of Music, the VonUn-
schuld University of Music and the
Brookings Institute. The license was
| granted the Washington College of Law
on the ground that the name contain
| ing the word washington" could not
be challenged, since the school could be
| named for George Washington rather
than for the Capital City. What other
schools have applied for licenses and
have been turned down are not known.
Some of these other applications. it is
understood, however, are being held
under consideration while the insti-
tutions themselves build up their per-
sonnet, educational standards or facili-
ties to comply with the requirement of
the laws provisions. It Is known that
most of the institutions which actually
were licensed early this Summer or last
Spring were accorded the opportunity to
raise their standards to meet the pre-
scribed requiments. even after their ap-
plications had been submitted to the
board.
AS the school board proceeds with the
enforcement of the diploma mill law, it
is gaining experience in its new assign
ment which may bring about minor
changes In the laws administration.
The application blank which was drawn
up chiefly by the Federal Bureau of
Education, in conjunction with the local
authorities, is being found too formida-
BILE document. It is likely, according
to indications at the Franklin Admins
tration Building. that the school board
will prepare much simpler question
naire on which the schools will submit
their applications for degree granting
licenses.
The Board of Education has held only
one meeting so far this year, and that
was last Wednesday, at which time only
five members of the board were in at
tendance Any major changes In the
administration of the diploma mill law
or its Interpretation probably would be
made only at the meetings in which
more than bare quorum of members
are sitting.