The Catholic times. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1951-current, 1961-04-07

ton subcommittee.
The list of Church-State CO.
operative projects was sought
by the Senator in view of the
National Catholic Welfare
Conferences request for in
clusion of private and paro-
chial schools in proposals for
Federal aid to education.
The NCWC suggested to
Congressional educational sub
committees, that a loan pro-
gram be started to aid con-
struction of private, non
profit schools.
THE MAJORITY of the pro-
grams listed in the Ribicoff
report involves participation
by both public and private
institutions. Few are exclu-
sively for nonpubllc lnstitu-
tions and none are only for
church-related agencies.
Five of the programs are
major ones: the College Hous-
ing Loan Program, the Nation
al Defense Education Act, the
Halliburton Act to aid hospi-
tai construction, the National
School Lunch Act and related
programs and the Surplus
Property Disposal Program,
MOST OF THE OTHERS
involve Federal grants to per-
sons or to institutions in the
form of scholarships or re-
search funds.
However,, the small pro-
grams do include some direct
grants to Institutions. These
include the Atomic Energy
Commissions grants to en-.
able colleges to purchase nu-
clear lab equipment and the
Public Health Services grants
to health research facilities
to meet up to so per cent of
the cost of construction or re-
modelling.
THE COLLEGE HOUSING
Loan Program, passed by
Congress in 1850, gives low
interest loans for up to 40
years to help finance con.
struction of revenue-produc-
ing facilities, such as dormi.
tories and social centers.
The program has made 767
loans to private colleges, to-
falling $685. million. There is
no breakdown on how many
went to church-affiliated in
situations, 474 of which are
Protestant and 265 of which
are Catholic,
About $618 million has been
lent in 465 loans to public
institutions.
Requests for loans from
seminaries are turned down
by the Federal Housing and
Home Finance Agency, which
administers the program. Of
ficials fear the Church-State
implications of a loan to an
exclusively religious institu-
ton would bring about a con-
troversy and ieopardize the
entire program.
HOWEVER, THE LINE the
government has tried to draw
is not clear cut. Despite the
ban on seminary loans, funds
are lent to colleges and uni
versities with seminaries on
their campuses and the gov
ernment does not object to
use of these facilities by stu
dents studying for ministry.
The wide acceptance this
loan program has received is
one reason for President Ken
nedy's proposals to Congress
that funds available for it
be increased and a twin pro-
gram TO help build class
rooms be started.
The National Defense Edu-
cation Act, adopted by Con-
gress in 1858, touches upon
private education in several
ways, both positive and mega
tive according to Catholic
educators.
1T IS THE ONLY piece of
Federal legislation which cur
rently deals directly with ed
ucation in private, nonprofit
elementary and secondary
schools.
ONE OF ITS TITLES pro-
vides loans TO these schools
to help finance the remodel
ing Of laboratories and to
purchase certain teaching
equipment, especi ally for
mathematics and science.
Since it began, private
schools have borrowed SIS
million in 154 ten-year loans,
the largest of which, $245, 500,
went to the Cathedral High
School, Springfield, Mass.
The amount borrowed is a
small percentage of the total
authorized, $20.4 million, but
the slowness of the program
in getting off the ground has
a precedent in the way the