Evening star., 1948-09-19

estimates the percentage OF eX-G1s
will drop to As per cent of the
total college enrolment.
Some Sample Figures
Pinpointing the decline of veter-
an enrollments, Bernard P. Ireland,
assistant director of admissions at
Columbia College, Columbia Uni
versity, says that in 1916 81 per
cent of the freshmen we're veterans.
In 1947 their number had fallen to
81 per cent; this year to 13 per cent.
At the College of the University of
Chicago only 20 per cent of the
entering students this fall will be
veterans, as against high of IS
per cent in 1916. Approximate fig
ures and conditions prevail at New
York University.
At Harvard only 200 of 1900 en-
tering freshmen are ex-GIs. Bos-
ton C,j'sge will have between Is
and 70 ger cent veterans out of
900 freshmen. Holy Cross, admit
ting 485 this fall, will have l8 per
cert veterans. James Mlllikan Uni
versity, Decatur, Ill, expects drop
from $50 in 1947 to $50 this year,
while Indiana University expects a
decline of IA per cent in veteran
enrollments.
Northwestern University, Dart
mouth College, Boston University
Saint Mary's College, California;
Stanford University, University of
California, University Of Massachu-
sets at Amherst; the University of
Maine, the University of Illinois and
Sanu Francisco State College, all
report the percentage Of veterans in
their entering classes is declining.
Some Exceptions
There are exceptions. For ex-
ample, at Knox College, Galesburg,
H., no drop in veteran enrollments
is expected this fall. And at the
"University of Southern California,
reports Registrar Howard Patmore,
there are still more veterans than
non-veterans being admitted be
cause many of the ex-GIs are
giving up jobs with little promise in
favor of more schooling.
Despite their decline in numbers,
the veterans in freshman and
sophomore years exert restraining
influence on their younger class
mates. In the colleges reporting,
there is a direct ratio between the
proportion Of veterans and the old
college spirit" More undergrad
yates are participating in extra
curricular events and in the revival
of preWar social activities and, at
Rutgers University, corduroy sports
coats and soft gabafdine slacks far
outnumber the smaterintg of G1
shirts and Cd trousers in which
the well dressed" y freshman has
usually made his initial appearance
on campus during the postwar years.
But the younger students have
not returned entirely to the OLD,
exuberant, carefree college days.
They are still serious, due to the
presence of the older ex-GIs, and
to the prospect of being drafted
into the armed services.
Undergraduates are more politi-
cally minded. too. In response to
student demand, university news
papers devote important space to
election news and views. Forums,
debates and guest lectures are sched-
uled. Colleges are offering new
courses covering politics, political
clubs abound on many campuses.
'OIdsters' Help Teen-Agers
The same spirit is found in the
upper classes where veterans make
up the majority of students. Every
where there is noticeable good feel
ing between veterans and non-vet-
Grams. with 29-year- -oldsters helping
teen-asers. The veterans continue
TO make every hour count and DO
not participate much in extra a-cur-
ricular activities.
Despite the decline in the number
of veterans, there Is no abatement
in the number of applicants for ad-
mission. The financial problems
caused by the large influx of ex-
GIs two years ago are still head
aches as far as the colleges are
concerned. Dorothy johnson, as
sistant director of publicity at North
western University, says:
Il believe that comments from
large universities the country over
will point out that the large influx
of veterans, far from helping the
institution financially, were an
added burden"
Amplifying this statement, Boston
College reports:
There is no enrolment decrease
but bigger incomes mean greater
expenditures for large facilities, in
creasing physical facilities and ad-
ditional bookkeeping and clerical
staffs"
Many colleges are still bursting
at the seams, but hope to reduce
their enrollments gradually. For ex-
ample, in 1916 Columbia had 2,700
students in college; today there are
2400. But even these occupy facili-
ties designed for 2,00o only, says
Assistant Director Of Admissions
Ireland.
Distributed by the Associated Press) 4