Evening star., 1935-12-13
HOUSING PROJECT
SCHOOL LAUNCHED
70 "Hand- Picked" Students
to Meet in First Glasses
Monday. e.

Seventy students, who are to learn
how to manage the Federal Govern
ment's housing projects and real estate
interests, were launched on unique
course of schooling today at an as
sembly in the auditorium Of the In
terror Department. They are to at
tend their first class at am. Monday
in the Graduate School of American
University, 1901 F street, and will con-
tinue for four months.
Due to the unusual type Of educa-
ton they are to receive, the students
will carry on without text books and
without professors. There will be no
tuition fees.
The school is to be operated under
direction of Donald Slesinger, func-
tioning under the National AsSocia-
ton of Housing officials. Half Of the
students were assigned from the Public
Works Administration and half from
the Resettlement Administration and
they will take their posts eventually In
both the city communities built on
cleared Slum sites and In the rural
reSettlement communities.
At the opening assembly the STU
dents were welcomed by A. R. Clas,
director of the P. w. A. housing di-
vision, and were addressed by chiefs
of the branches of that division and
of the Resettlement Administration.
Other meetings will be held this after
noon and tomorrow. preliminary to
the opening of classes. Registration
of the students was completed yes
terday.
The students are 35 or over and
we're "handpicked" by officials OF the
National Association of Housing Offi-
cials. All have had experience in
apartment house management or some
other phase of the real estate business.
Funds for operation of the school were
provided by the Rockefeller Founda-
ton and other endowed organizations.
Mr.. Slesinger, who is on leave from
the faculty of the University OF Chi
cago to manage the school, explained
to the Associated Press that there
will not be any grades or tests" but
that, on completion of the course, the
students will be interviewed by school
and Federal officials.
The school faculty will include such
authorities as Arthur w. Bohmen,
Chicago apartment management ex-
pert; Robert Taylor, manager OF the
Michigan Boulevard Apartments, Chi
cago; Abraham Goldfeld, manager OF
the Lavanburg Homes IN New YORK;
Mrs. Edith Elmer Wood. former men,
ber of the New Jersey Housing Author
ity, and Maj John walker, Nat Frame
and Robert O'Neil of the Resettlement
Administration.
In addition to lectures from ofhcials
of the two Federal housing agencies,
the students will, from time to time,
hear talks by visiting professors"
among them James C. Downes. editor
of the Journal of Real Estate Manage
ment, and William Ham, Of the Bridge
port Housing Corp, Bridgeport, Conn.
Although the Federal Government
has no official connection with the
school, it was indicated that the p.
w. A. and the r. r. A. will give
preference In appointments 10 tnoSe
who complete the training. Since
plans for the school were announced
several weeks ago, more than 800 per-
sons have applied for admission and
from this number the 10 students
have been selected. The student body
includes men and women, white and
colored
The successful applicants were FIRST
passed upon by housing officials in
their own localities, and then by the
personnel departments Of P. w. A. and
r. r. A., after having been cleared
through the National Association Of
Housing Oncials. This system of
double checking was adopted to make
sure students admitted were Of types
suitable for the positions they viii
Ill In the Government service.