Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1910 [PAGE 197]

EXTRACTED TEXT FROM PAGE:

1909]

PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

159

that the wishes of the trustees would be fully met if in addition to these resolutions there was an increase in the general item for salaries and operating expenses of the University. This item was increased by seventyfive thousand dollars per year, and the special item asked for in the omnibus bill was dropped out. That the omission of this last item, however, did not proceed from any feeling that the salaries paid in the University were too high, is evident enough from the reports adopted by the appropriation committees in both House and Senate upon this particular topic. The Senate Committee, in recommending an increase in item 1, made the following statement: "Inasmuch as your committee will recommend that item 20 in the original bill, making appropriations for increase of salaries which was stricken out by the House be concurred in, believing that the trustees have full authority under this item to make such increase as in their judgment is deemed necessary, under Joint Resolution No. 12, passed by both Senate and House, believing that some increase is necessary, also, in view of the fact that items of the bill as introduced have been entirely stricken out or greatly reduced, your committee recommends that general item 1 in the House bill be increased to five hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars ($525,000) per annum." The House Committee stated in its report concerning item 20: "It seems to your committee that the trustees of the University, they being elected by the People to run the business of. the University, should have the courage to use their discretion in regard to salaries." It is, I think, a highly satisfactory result that the Legislature has thus approved the policy of paying adequate salaries at the University, not only by the passage of the joint resolution above referred to, but also by adopting the passages just read in both appropriation committees of the General Assembly, after a second full and thorough discussion. Another question which had been raised in the course of the criticism upon the University, namely, whether the special items in the appropriation, bill, such as that "For the maintenance and extension of the Engineering College and expenses of the Engineering Experiment Station," that "For carrying on the Water Survey," that "For maintenance of the Department of Social and Political Science and Industrial Economics," that "For maintenance of the School of Music," that "For equipment and support of the Law School," that "For equipment and maintenance of the School of Pharmacy," that "For equipment and maintenance of Chemical Laboratory," that "For maintenance of the Graduate School," could properly be used to pay salaries, was answered in the affirmative by the sub-committees of both Houses, by both appropriation committees and, so far as I know, by all the members of both Houses. In fact, it seemed strange to every member of the committee whose attention was called to the matter, that any question whatever should be raised on this point, considering the language of the bill itself. The language for item 8 in the general University bill, "For maintenance and extension of the Engineering College and expenses of the Engineering Experiment Station" was formulated in this particular way, after a full discussion twice held in the Board of Trustees, and with a distinct understanding that this . formulation permitted the trustees at their discretion to charge the entire item or any portion thereof either to salaries or equipment or expenses of the Engineering College or Engineering Experiment Station in any proportion in which it seemed best to the Board of Trustees to make such distribution. The language itself is perfectly sweeping in character, was approved by this board after full discussion and has twice been approved by both sub-committees, by the entire appropriation committees of both Houses and by both Houses of the Legislature without the slightest objection, so far as I have been able to ascertain, at any stage of the proceedings, upon the part of a single member of the General Assembly. I should not know how to make a general formulation of an appropriation bill better calculated and adapted to give to the trustees of the University