Evening star., 1932-01-22
President Miles Predicts New
Era of Progress in
Second Decade.
BY C. p. MILES,
President Southern Conference and Direc,
tor of Athletics Virginia Polytechnic
InStitute.

mite progress looking toward the
accomplishment of the high aims
and splendid ideals of its found
ers. This first decade, in my
opinion, was mainly a period of
experiment and of testing, from
which the conference members
have gained the principles and the
foresight upon which they will
build the greater Southern Con-
ference of the future.
A new era Is daWning-an era In
which I look for closer harmony and
greater understanding among members,
still higher academic and athletic
standards and an even finer conception
of the place of athletics in American
university life. The meeting of the
conference in New Orleans in Decem-
ber showed Enthusiastically which way
the wind is blowing. The consideration
by the conference body at that meeting
Of proposals submitted in the name OF
higher standards and the adoption Of a
number Of amendments to that end,
can well be taken as gauge to the
the group.
Back to Old Principle. ..,.
The conference, PROBABLY never re-
mote from the old principles of athletics
for the student. is going back to these
principles. 1t must go back to them If
1t is to play greater role in inprov-
ing the physical and moral fiber of
college and university students through
out the South and in sponsoring ath-
letics as a worthy part of modern edu-
cation.
This trend to old principles speaks
through some very worthwhile amend
ments adopted at New Orleans. One
Will put scholarship and loan funds
long the bane Of college athletics-on a
basis whereby the college administra-
tion will be Informed as to what is be-
ing done with all such funds. The
adoption of uniform entrance re-
quirement, including no more than four
vocational units, asures that every ath-
lete, in order to be eligible, must have 9
definite number of academic units
Thus, no athlete can enter any South.
ern Conference institution with unit.
which would not be accepted by any
standard college.
Another amendment adopted requires
that a man pass three-tifths OF his
work in the preceding semester OF
quarter and three-fourths of his pre-.
ceding years work to be eligible tc
compete. Still another requires that 9
student to be eligible for repeated par
ttcipation shall have a full years at
tendance to his credit, as compared with
the former rule requiring one-haf year
All OF these amendments mean higher
Standards-Which are something that
we must ever seek to maintain. Such
standards are an unmistakable answer
to the oft-repeated charges that boys
are taken from high and preparatory
schools before they are fully prepared
to enter college.
1t is impossible for me as president
TO comment on the amendments
adopted by the conference at its recent
meeting regarding appointment of a
conference commissioner of athletics.
am not IN position to state what the
outcome of this move will be. The
conference has appointed a committee
| OF four members to study the matter
carefully and to report its findings to
the full meeting of the conference tc
be held in Atlanta in late February
The committee may recommend the ap-
polntment or rejection Of a commits
sioner. There Is some opposition to it
due to cost and other Objectionable fea.
lures. A number are in favor of it. anC
| personally I would rather leave the
matter to the conference for final de.
cision.
Aims to Ban Subsidizing.
The conference Is attempting, and ]
think 1t will not be long before 1t will
go on record as absolutely prohibiting
subsidizing, recruiting, athletic scholar.
| ships and like evils which now exist ir
greater or less degree in American col
lege athletics. The adoption and strict
enforcement of such regulations will dc
much to achieve that splendid goal oi
athletics for the student body. 1t will
do much to bring athletics to theil
proper level and to fulfill the splendid
purpose of the Southern Conference tc
keep intercollegiate athletics in proper
bounds by making them an incidental
and not the principal feature of college
and university life.
Let us look back upon the confer.
ence OF the past as the foundation up
on which to build the conference O.
the future. The movement to form
the Southern conference sprang from
the splendid vision of Dr. w. A. Lam.
beth and DR.. LeFebre of the Univer-
s1ty of Virginia, DR.. S. " Sanford oi
the University of Georgia, H. C. BYRD
OF the University of Maryland, anc
others.
In 1921 the representatives of a few
OF the present member institutions
| gathered at Atlanta, and at that time
what was TO become the greatest con.
ference OF today came into being. From
| the very first, its organizers were
| guided by an admirable and keen per-
tN I.1 i i ~
the high principles by which the grour
was to be guided.
To my mind, it has never strayed fal
from the ideals of its founders, and tt
this I attribute its unchallengec
growth and influence. For Just as tht
conference has grown in years, so has
it grown in prestige. During its frs
! 10 years, the eyes of the public, par
| ticularly along athletic lines have beer
| focused upon it.
| 1t has gained recognition in sight oi
the American public, and in the larger
bodies of national athletic organiza.
tions. Its athletes have more than hele
| their own in athletic affairs of the ma.
| ton. It's foot ball teams have wor
notable victories over strong foes. The
| triumphs of teams representing the
| University of Alabama, in the Tourna-
ment of Roses games at Pasadena In
recent years, the victory several years
ago of Georgia Tech over Notre Dame
and California, the victories of Geor-
gia over Yale, and of Georgia and
| Tennessee over New York University
last Fall, all bear witness to the PROV
ess of Southern foot ball. The fire.
quent invitations extended Southern
Conference teams to play in the annual
Rose Bowl classic, Is further proof that
Southern foot ball Is recognized every
where.
The recent foot ball season has de-