Worcester Democrat and the ledger-enterprise., 1935-04-26
STATE univ.
INVESTIGATED
AS TO UNREST
Student Organ Criticizes Ad-
ministrative Policies OF
President Pearson
COMMITTEE OF ALUMNI
PRESENTED TESTIMONY

There seems to be some unrest
in the student ranks at the Univer-
sity of Maryland. They are denoun-
cling some of the administrative poll
cies of President Pearson, which in
the opinion of the student body, as
expressed in the student paper, have
affected unfavorably the scholastic
standing of the University.
The charge is made that instructors
of recognized merit have been dis
charged, and those of smaller intel
lectual calibre have been engaged. DR..
Pearson claims the faculty is good
one and lays to the cutting off of in
come by the State as the cause of
any such grievance.
An Alumni representative appeared
before the University Board, consist
ing of T. J. Van Doren, '25 president
of the Washington group of the Alum
nj Association.
John w. Chambers, '99, member of
the board of directors of the Wash
ington group.
: J. Hanson Mitchell, '98, leader of
the Baltimore group of the Alumni
Association and former national presi-
dent of the Alumni Association.
Mr.. Mitchell declined to divulge the
nature of their testimony, saying cit
was given in executive session"
DIR. Pearson has been under fire for
some of his policies and only recent
ly the Diamondback, weekly student
newspaper, attributed the disastrous
effects" on the academic standing
of the university to the "administra-
tive policies" of the president.
The publication charged that out
standing professors had been replaced
by "less qualified instructors"
Four days later DR.. Pearson issued
a statement to the effect that men,
bers of the faculty staff at the insti-
tuition compared well with what one
would find in similar institutions.
Salary reductions due to cuts in ap-
preparations were given as one of the
reasons for the unrest, and that was
treated in Mr.. Shriver's "memoran-
dunn"
1t said:
"At a meeting of the board of re-
gents held today the board heard sew
eral members of the alumni of the
university who presented certain in
formation which they felt was i'm
portant as reflecting unrest as it came
to them, perhaps growing out of mis-
understanding among certain of the
faculty members.
Evidently much of the dissatisfac-
ton grew out of the question of re-
duced compensation, for which it
seems the president was held account
able. It was explained by the board
that the matter of compensation was
one for which the board was in the
last analysis accountable for, but
could not under all condition control.
"That the recent further, reduction
in the amount of the State appropria-
ton to the university presented some
very difficult problems and that the
president and board were giving the
subject every consideration in an eff
fort to so adjust matters so as to avoid
further cuts in compensation, if pos
sible. And in this connection they
were receiving the sympathetic CO.
operation of the Governor and the
board of public works"
Responding to the request of Presi-
dent raymond Az Pearson, the
board appointed special committee
to thoroughly investigate and report
on the affairs of the university, it's
organization, its scholastic standing