Evening star., 1946-01-27
Schools Expect
Many Veterans
Here This Week
Major Problem Is
Housing, Classroom
Space for Students
By MARION WADE Doyle.

BY MARION WADE DOYLE.
Public schools and colleges here
expect huge enrollments of vet
Grams when the February terms be-
gin this week and early next week.
For the colleges. finding homes
for the veterans is the main prob
lem. George Washington, Maryland
and American Universities are at
tempting to buy surplus housing
from the Government.
For the public schools, classroom
space Is the prime need. The Gen.
trail High School quick course" CEN
ter, which had Is veterans enrolled
when it opened last fall, expects
about $50 by next week, according to
Robert G. Vanderlip, director.
Separate School Suggested.
Something must be done about
space" Mr.. Vanderlip said. He
suggested either separate school
for veterans or more classrooms al
lotted at Central.
The veterans have accepted the
crowding cheerfully and continue to
work so hard that teachers "can
barely keep ahead of them" Mr..
Vanderlip said. But their co-opera-
tive attitude makes him wish even
more that he could keep their
classes to a maximum of Is STU
dents each instead of the present
average of about Is.
A third method to relieve the
crowding, Mr.. Vanderlip said, would
be for the public schools of sur
rounding Maryland and Virginia
counties also to open veterans short
courses.
Pct. In Nearby Areas.
OF the estimated $50 to be enrolled
for the opening of the second term
February 4, about per cent will be
residents of these counties, Mr.. Van
derlip said. These schools also might
take some of the estimated 80 per
cent of Central's pupils who come
from other sections of the country,
he added.
About IS per cent of the men are
longtime District residents, Mr..
Vanderlip explained. The others are
men whose wives, families or friends
moved here from other States dur
ing the war years.
Mrs. Henry Grattan Doyle, presi-
dent Of the Board of Education, said
she is sure board members will be
glad to consider any suggestion made
by Mr.. Vanderlip to improve services
to veterans.
COlOred Veterans Distributed.
The short courses for colored vet
Grams are not so crowded because
they are distributed among several
schools instead of being concen-
trated in one, DR.. Garnet C. Wilkin-
son, assistant superintendent. said.
The enrolment of one pupil last
fall has now increased to 80 day
students and so night students, he
said.
The most serious need Of colored
veterans. James N. Saunders, CO.
ordinator of the program, said, is a
shop to teach shoemaking and re-
pair. Some overcrowding at the
Phelps Vocational Schools machine
shops will be relieved next week
by transfer of veterans to the for
mer wartime public vocational in
struction center at the Dennison
School, 1927 S street NV, he said.
Among the colleges, National Uni
versity and Catholic Universities
have announced that anticipated
veterans enrolment will increase
their classes nearly to prewar size.
Catholic U. Adds Dormitory.
Catholic University has added
several new instructors and has pro-
vided another dormitory, Gibbons
Hall. Gibbons was used by women
students during the war.
American University and South
eastern University are planning to
devote special attention" to vet
erans enrolled in their classes, the
presidents announced yesterday.
DR.. James A. Bell, president of
Southeastern, emphasized that his
university is particularly helpful to
veterans who wish to get Govern
ment positions. DR.. Paul F. Doug
lass of American University said all
economics courses given this term
will be aimed to train veterans for
business jobs.
American University Is preparing
a number of "quonset huts," left on
its campus by the Navy Department,
for veteran occupancy when the
term opens February II. DR.. Cloyd
Heck Marvin of George Washington
University expects 120 veterans
units to be delivered some
time soon." President H. C. Byrd
of Maryland University also is seek
ing some kind" of veterans
housing.