Milford chronicle., 1951-04-13
Urge Retention Of
Del. State College

The overwhelming majority of
faculty members and students of
the Delaware State College who vo-
ted during a special meeting on
Tuesday favor development of the
institution as a fOur-year, fully
accredited land grant college.
This was disclosed by DR.. Oscar
J. Chapman, president of the insti-
tuition, during hearing on legisla-
tiOn now before the 116th General
Assembly.
The hearing, involving members
Of the House Appropriations and
Education Committees, was at
tended by S. Gilbert Nickel. presi-
dent of the board of trustees of the
college, as we'll as other members
of the board.
DR.. Chapman, appealing for Iegis-
latve support of a bill now before
the Senate which would appropri-
ate $843,0OO for new buildings for
the institution, referred to a letter
which was published in a Whining
ton newspaper
Written by Richard Turner Way
mer, an associate professor at the
college, the letter differed with DR..
Chapman's position on the future
of the institution.
DR.. Chapman has held that there
is an important place for a four
year college for Negroes in Della
ware and for that reason has re-
fused to go along with other re-
Communications that (al tho Della
ware Satte College be abolished and
OBJ that it be made a junior college.
According to DR.. Chapman his
position is based on talks with rem
resentative Negro groups through
out the state.
Mr. Wavmer deplored this stand
in his letter and said that it "dOas
not reflect the thinking Of the
members of the faculty" and ". e..
Int verv small ner cent of tho
thinking of the students of the col
lePa."
Dr.. Chairman said that when ho
read the letter he decided to fud
cut again for himself whether he
had b"en ri0ht or wrong in his
estimate cf tho sentiment.
During the special assembly the
question was put and no pressure
was used to gain votes either way,
said Dr. Chapman.
The voting disclosed that Is of
the 20 faculty members present
favored the fOur-year plan while
two were opposed to it and that 1913
OF the 1877 students on hand were
for it while four were against it.
DR.. Chapman said that one reason
why the college needs funds now
for improvements is that not amy
capital improvements have been
made for 20 years. The state has
not given the institution the flnan-
cial support it should have had.
Salaries are miserably low. In the
last year we lost two teachers to
high schools, a shameful thing.
"Of 1O6 Negro colleges in the
country the poorest physical plant
is at the Delaware State College.
That is q well-knOwn fact. Lack of
good buildings was one reason for
the loss of accreditatiOn which was
never more than provisional any
how. We have not been able to keep
our students. Our enrolment three
o. four years ago was up to 327:
now it is less than 200 Because Of
this the cost per pupil is rising
steadily.
THE minimum program which we
seek, and one which I believe will
help gain us real accreditation
and enlarge our enrolment, calls
for a library and an additional
$4,000 volumes, a dOrmitOry for
men, a dOrmitory for women, and a
gymnasium.
''If the state will take the first
step in helping US to obtain these
four buildings it is my honest con-
victiOn that we will grow we'll and
proudly in the next few years."
The hearing was presided over by
Rep. Leon F. Trivits. chairman of
the Appropriation Committee.
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