The people's voice. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1939-1969, 1949-08-19

1949, Great Falls. Montana.
I give this talk tonight all the more
willingly because | am not a grad
nate of any unit of the Great Uni
yersity of Montana The issue con-
fronting us must concern us wholly
as Montanans and not as loyal alum
nj of any institution. Few have yet
realized that our decision in a mat
ter which is of immediate concern
only in education may have far
reaching consequences in every other
field of public service.
Several months ago the State
Board of Education allocated to the
six units of the University of Mon
tana the 100000 bond issue for
new buildings-with due considera-
ton of the enrolment at each insti-
tuition and established criteria of re-
quirements for physical plant.
A few weeks ago the State Board
of Examiners suddenly over-rode the
Board of Education and re-allocated
the money, slashing the amounts rec
commended for the State University
and State College by four hundred
thousand dollars each, and more than
doubling the amount recommended
for Northern Montana College at
Havre.
AS it stands now, the Board of
Examiners has given the State Uni
versity one million five hundred
thousand dollars for buildings and
the State College one million three
hundred thousand. 1t has given
Northern Montana College one mil
lion two hundred thousand. The !
State University and State College
enrolled, last year, more than three
thousand students each. Northern {
Montana College at Havre enrolled
a little more than three hundred. S
The Board of Examiners ALLEGATION S
an expenditure of about c
$500 per student at the Missoula e
and Bozeman institutions and about y
$4,000 per student at Havre.
Many Protests
The Board of Education and Chan
,ellor George A. Selke, who is now !.
n Germany on a military assign !.
nent, both promptly protested. So
lave hundreds of Montanans scat
cred throughout the state-citizens =
Who had hoped that our initial mis- =
axe in splitting up our educational :
ystem had now been recognized and =
hat the interests of one section
would not be permitted again to in =:
luence educational policy. =
The Board of Examiners, recog
Lizing the merit of this widespread
rotest, has announced that it will
lot act on its re-allocation of funds O.
ntil Chancellor Selke's return. o
This has moved the partisans of O.
Torthern Montana College at Havre n
0 inaugurate campaign through q
ut the northern and eastern coun- q
les in which they are appealing to a
ectional interest and encouraging a Ct
attern of thinking which l am con- G.
inced will be calamitous. a
A mimeographed sheet and printed NJ
rochure have been distributed by :.
1ese Havre boosters. One of them -
''The older units of the ~
University system in the western 9.
art of the state want most of -
lie money, all they can possibly man D
ge that has been allotted to North
N Montana College, taken away ~
nd spent on their campuses." This, ~
course, is false. For one thing, 70
lis implies that Montana State Col 81 ~
ge is in western Montana, whereas a.
is east of the divide and due south 10 10
Havre's neighbor town of Chester. i %
ne colder units" are not trying to cl'
alb Havre's money; they are merely &C
ping that the allotments as origi- W. W.
lily made by the Board of Educa- I'LL
IN shall stand. This bulletin from
e Havre people at no point admits ne
at the Examiners ALLEGATION was W.
overriding of the original respon- III
,ility. Ca ca
Let's look at that Board of Edu- LIZ
ton, which has the responsibility eS'
administering the Greater Univer- sci
Y and which made the decision on lla'
ocation of building funds from the VI
nd issue. Excluding the three ex- I ~,
al ,ooa,,o howe rryLa ,xo +La ~ uuI