Evening star., 1948-03-21
Colleges Face
Bad Overflow
Space Problem May Be
Critical in Next
Two Years
BY Colt HendIey, Jr.

py $oit Henutets JT.
To properly handle the record en-.
rollment expected within the next
two years, all the Nations colleges
and universities have to do is builo
the equivalent of 76 Pentagor
Buildings or, if you prefer, 1873 En-
pire State Buildings.
This, the United States Office OF
Education says, will meet the mini
mum needs of an expected 2,675, ,0OO
students. The prewar peak was only
100000 and right now the schools
are accommodating in some fashion
O total of 100000.
To do this will take $4,000 O0O, 900.
The question raised by the educa-
ton office in a report released yes
terday is where will this money be
obtained? The answer is not given.
Survey Covered l 1886 Colleges
The report was prepared by the
Veterans Educational Facilities
Program, which is administered
jointly by the Bureau of Commodity
Facilities of the Federal Works
Agency and the Division of Higher
Education of the Once of Educa-
ton. VEFP has the responsibility
for providing war surplus buildings
and equipment to schools and COL
leges which require them in provid-
ing programs of education for vet
Grams.
These building needs amount to
an additional 265,000,0 900 square
feet. At 1948 prices, the additional
space would cost $2,650, ,0O0,0 With
land, equipment and other costs
added, the total would exceed $3,-
500,000,000. In addition. provision
must be made for obsolescence cum
ulated during the war which would
bring the total to the 5000, ,000, 900.
incidentally, the VEFP survey
pointed out that these needs are
not what ought to be offered in
higher education under a COM
prehensive ideal program. 1t
merely reported the present inten-
tions and ambitions of leaders for
the colleges and universities they
now administer. A total of 1886
colleges, enrolling 96 per cent of
the Nations college population,
participated in the survey.
Would Still Fall Short
The colleges had In 1947 approx
mately 40 per cent less educational
and residential space per full-time
student than they had in 1910, the
prewar peak of enrolment. And
after these estimated needs are
met-if they are-the colleges in
1850 will have IA per cent less space
per full-time student than they had
in 1910.
Approximately two-thirds of the
capital outlay for buildings is ex-
pected to come from taxation
rather than from gifts and bequests,
the survey showed.
This is accounted for by the fact
that publicly controlled institutions
have 81 per cent of existing educa-
tional space and expect to erect
two thirds of the total additional
space. But the VEFP "marvels" at
the optimism and courage which
impels privately supported colleges
to increase their facilities when
they know that such expansions in
crease the difficulty of securing
adequate current support.
But where to get the money is
big problem. Last year colleges re-
ported assurance Of only enough
funds to construct 26 per cent of
the building space they needed.
And this included commitments of
the Federal Government to provide
temporary buildings from war sur
plus structures.
Needs of d. G.. Institutions
This Federal help has been a.
big factor in enabling the schools
to meet the needs of veterans as
well as they have.
Colleges normally use about one
third Of their building space for
residential housing for students and
faculty. the report stated. But, one
fourth Of the colleges do not main
tain any form Of residential hous-
ing.
The need for housing is 80 per
cent more than the present resi-
dental space, the report pointed
out.
The colleges and universities of
the District will need an additional
1,975,000 square feet of space by
1850, the report estimated.
The VEFP pointed out that the
difficulty in meeting college build
ing needs has been intensified
greatly by the current imitation of
construction costs which on the
average are now twice those of