The Chapel Hill weekly., 1931-02-06
Graham's Appeal to Legislature
For Adequate Fund for University

Here follows the statement made
tt Fyumk Graham at joint meeting
of the Senate and House dppyoprta-
tion committees on Thursday OF last
Uesk:
In this committee hearing is focused
for q few minutes the work Of three
important agencies Of the state: the
Budget Commission. the University.
and the Legislature Of North Carolina,
all three a; work in most difficult
times against great odds for the wei
fare Of NORTH Carolina. Let US all,
charged with a responsibility Of far
reaching consequences in the policy
making o, great state, as far as
humanity possible, strip our minds Of
any prejudgment and consider the
meaning Of the figures in this budget
IN our capacity as makers OF bud
gets and builders Of the state. We
believe in budget making as basis Of
state making. The keeping Of books
is necessary to the keeping OF the
common wealth The University
adopted the budget system before the
state did and has tried to use the
budget not as a straight jacket, but
q. an instrument of economy and the
efficient life
In making up the budget for the
bienniurn. 1888, we asked for the
restoration Of the budget set up in
legislative appropriations for the
biennium, 1929-3l The commission's s
recommendation and the legislative
appropriation for 1930-31 was s875,-
900 70 meet our bare and Vita needs.
This was cut 20 per cent or from
ss75.00 to $780, 900. Now this s7O0,-
900 has been cut in the proposed bud
get 10 1878 800 From $4,000 to
$4,000 70 s573 600 makes tremen-
dous cut Of 34.4 per cent for the
brief period Of two years. What the
81 per cent cut will do to the Univer-
sity can be judged from what the 20
per cent cut has already done and is
doing every day Of the current year.
Effect of The 20 Per Cent Cut
This 20 per cent cut which went
into effect July /. 1880, WAS ter
rife blow which the University
shaken to the very center Of her
being, has taken standing up in good
sportsmanship along with her sister
institutions, but with destructive
strain on the inner resources and
quality Of her life and their lives.
May ] say at this point that our
figures are not set off against the
needs Of any other institution or
agency of the states life. For the
most part they are crippled too. We
wish them Godspeed in meeting their
vital needs.
At the end Of the last University
year our losses in men OF the flrst
rank constituted a list of president,
dean. scholars. scientists, and great
teachers, eminent in America for their
productive and inspirational values,
For the most part they have not been
replaced. The English Department
lost in the year four full professors
and one associate professor. These
have been replaced by only one full
professor and two associate profes-
sors. The gap is being filled by men
in the lower grades Of instructors and
teaching fellows. The French Depart
ment has sustained the loss IN the
wear Of one associate professor and
two instructors with replacement
only by teaching fellows on part time.
The Chemistry Department lost q
remarkably able industrial chemist
who was at work upon a chemical
problem Of potential use to the South
ern cotton farmer, but Iowa called
him to turn his teaching and his
experimental mind to the use OF the
grain growers of that great agricul-
tural state. He preferred to stay
here, but the misgivings about our
future and his family budget tipped
the scales to Iowa with certain loss
to our students in investigation along
his own frontier and a great possible
los. in economic power to our people
This was before it was proposed IN
this present budget to cut of vital
parts of the work in the chemical
laboratories.
Quality Of University Work Damaged
Thus we might go on illustrating
in all departments and divisions the
damage already done in the teaching
life by Illustrations and fears caused
by the cut. In this way most serious