Evening star., 1947-07-27
By George Beveridge

By George Beveridge
A fayorite among the Nations
educators is the story of the World
War II veteran who transferred
from a large university to a small
one last year so I can see one OF
my professors" The veteran, SC
the story goes, was registered In
classes so large that the lecturers
hidden in remote offices, had to
broadcast courses to students
through loud speakers.
Actually, there are relatively few
1 900 = student classes, few courses
that must be broadcast. But the
story is only a slight exaggeration
of the problem facing colleges this
fall and the former servicemen
who will constitute more than half
their record-breaking enrollments.
Last year, schools jumped the big
gest enrolment hurdle in history,
swelled by returning servicemen to
a high of 100000. Next month,
colleges are expected to register g.
45o,o00 students, 100000 Of them
veterans.
Funds Are Lacking
Despite the huge influx, however,
educators feel their main job will
be to improve standards of instruc-
ton. They point out that the great
est number of veterans who will
enter colleges at one time did so last
fall. Their schools already are dan
gerously near the breaking point in
capacity. The result is a type of
instruction far inferior to that the
prewar student received.
There are two fundamental rea-
sons for this deterioration-drastic
shortages of school buildings and
other facilities and a worse scarcity
Of INSTRUCTORS.
Educators say they cannot expand
their schools for the simple reason
that they do not have enough
money. They pinned their hopes
this year on q bill introduced by
Senator Aiken, Republican, of Yer
mont, which would have furnished
$3.50 900 900 in grants to schools on
a $3.50 basis for construction of
permanent buildings for the educa-
ton Of veterans. After extensive
hearings, the measure received no
action from Senator Tafts Labor
and Public Welfare Committee.
Reasons for the faculty. shortage
are more complex. But DR.. Ralph
Mcdonald, director Of higher edu-
cation for the National Education
Association, divides them into these
three groups-a general scarcity OF
graduate students who reach the
level of a Phi. D., an increasing de-
mand from industry and govern
ment for highly educated personnel,
and low salaries. AS result, many
faculty members, the best available,
are not too well qualified for their
jobs.
Vets Do Better
On the other side of the picture,
however, are a number of optimistic
factors. While high enrollments
have lowered the quality of instruc-
ton, they have forced schools to in
crease standards-often where none
existed before-to tighten entrance
requirements and make courses more
difficult to pass.
An even stronger factor is the
maturity and increased seriousness
that veterans have brought to col
lege campuses.
DR.. Francis J. Brown, executive
secretary Of the American Council
on Education, said reports from col
leges now furnish an unqualified
"yes" to the question of whether
veterans are doing better work than
their non veteran classmates.
These men are in school through
an economic sacrifice" he said, "be-
cause they realize the valpe Of an
educational background. Many are
married. They are not men who at
some future time are going to enter
the world Of reality. They already
are in it."
DR.. Mcdonald pointed out that
the influx has had a wholesome
and more democratic" effect on
campuses. There Is evidence OF a
better character and quality to stu
dent life," he declared. "As a good
example, the typical veteran can
take q fraternity or leave it alone.
He Is there to do q job"
Among the veterans, surveys show
that married students make better
grades than single ones, and the
highest marks are registered by
those with children. As wo1id be