Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1959-09-08
Senate Committee
OKs Junior College
House Suberoup
Refuses to Act
Now, However
BY JAMES G. DEANE
Star stan Writer

A proposal to set up a Junior
college and award masters de-
grees at the District Teachers
College was reported out by
the Senate District Committee
today. but on the House side
the bill ran into a dead end.
| Chance for Senate action be-
fore the end of the week was
offset by a House subcommit-
tees refusal to act.
The subcommittee had heard
School Supt. Carl F. Hansen
call the proposal zone of the
most urgent" before the Board
OF Education.
But Representative Mat
thews. Democrat of Florida,
discouraged hope for any i'm.
mediate action on the plan,
saying CONGRESS did not have
time 10 act on it before adj
journment and declaring he
wanted further information.
Degree Authorization Out
Also apparently shelved until
January, ct the earliest, is q
bill intended to authorize mas
tiers degrees for so District
Teachers College students. Four
of the students already have
completed the work and As
others will do so by the end
of this scholastic year, but none
can get official credit without
legislative authorization.
DR.. Hansen voiced disappoint-
ment after Mr.. Matthews said
action on both bills would be
deferred.
Representative Foley, Demo-
crat of Maryland, sponsor Of
the bills, asked whether the full
District Committee would meet
before the expected close of the
present congressional session
with some idea of expediting
action. Mr.. Matthews said he
could not answer this question.
Questions Raised
The Florida legislator also
said two or three members of
the full committee had raised
questions which he felt should
be answered.
Mr.. Matthews. Mr.. Foley and
Representative Weis, Repub-
lican of New York, were the
only committee members who
showed up for the hearing. Mr..
Matthews heads the unit. A
Senate subcommittee has held
a hearing on the legislation but
the full Senate District COM
mittee has yet to take it up.
Dr.. Hansen said the junior
college plan. which is backed
by the District Commissioners,
would not add anything to the
teachers college operating bill.
In fact, he said, it would swell
District revenue by at least
$50, 900 a year.
A consultant's report esti-
mated that ITS to 200 District
high school graduates are
missing out on higher educa-
ton because of lack of money
to pay tuition at existing in.
stitutions. Purpose of the jun-
Tor college would be to serve
this group. DR.. Hansen said.
The tuition and fees would be
only 500 annually.
InJuSticeS Cited
DR.. Hansen also urged action
on the masters degree bill in
the interest of the affected
students, saying that they will
suffer an injustice if they can
not be given the degrees which
they have been working for
and. in the case of the four
students. already earned. The
four. he noted. are losing $500
a year in premium pay which
the degree would entitle them.
Mr.. Matthews raised a ques-
ton about the accreditation
status Of the college, with par
ticular reference to the junior
college and the graduate work.
DR.. Hansen and DR.. Paul o.
Carr. president of the college,
assured him the accreditation
was assured, but Mr.. Matthews
reiterated a desire for further
information on this subject.
DR.. Rowland F. Kinks, legis-
lative committee chairman Of
the Board of Education, sup
ported the school officials. The
bills were also backed by John
B. Gillilland. former president
of the District Congress of
Parents and Teachers and by
Mrs. Haskell Rosenblum of the
League of Women Voters and
several others.
Mr.. Matthews asked about
the adequacy of other WASH
ington educational institutions
for meeting the potential jun
ior college need and the school
officials agreed to supply some
details. Some privately opers
ated institutions have re-
portedly voiced objection to the
District Teachers College plans.