Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1910 [PAGE 579]

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1910]

PROCEEDINGS OF THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES.

541

Third—The College will turn Over its plant to the University in a good state of repair. The University will pay all taxes (not including assessments for local improvement), will maintain the property in good condition and will keep it insured in the name of the college, but will not be responsible for repairs necessitated by fires, or by other causes not incident to the occupancy of the property as a school building. Fourth—All notes and any accrued interest on same, owing to the University by the college to be converted into a convenient form of non-interest bearing indebtedness, which can be applied as 5 per cent of the purchase price of the property of the college should such purchase be made by the University at any time. Fifth—Any funds belonging to the college and held by the University shall be returned to the college and used by it to reduce its floating debt. This memorandum was submitted by the president of the University to the Governor of the State of Illinois for his consideration, and in answer to a request for his opinion the following communication was received:

SPRINGFIELD, I I I . , May 13, 1910.

DEAR SIR—Your favor of recent date enclosing a copy of a memorandum of the agreement entered into April 26, 1910, by Dr. D. A. K. Steele, Dr. William E. Quine, Dr. W. A. Pusey, Dr. Charles Davison, Hon. Fred L. Hatch and Hon. W. L. Abbott, which agreement it. is purposed shall be recommended to the Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois and the Board of Directors of the College of Physicians and Surgeons as a basis for a new contract to supersede on July 1, 1910, the existing contract between these two parties, has been received. In answer to your request for my opinion on this proposition I beg to say: First—I think it desirable that the present contract under which the College of Physicians and Surgeons has certain rights in the management of the Medical School be abrogated. If the University is to conduct a medical school it should be under the control of the trustees of the University as are other schools and departments of the institution. Second—I think the proposition to replace the present lease by one which shall not exceed the period of two years, the length of time for which the Legislature under the State Constitution may make apppropriations, is a good one. Such a lease should be a lease of the College of Physicians and Surgeons for the use of the University Medical School and should not concede to the College of Physicians and Surgeons any voice in the management of the school. It would, I think, be well to reserve for the University the right to renew the lease on the same terms for succeeding periods. I should think that the words "if desired by the Board of Trustees of the University" should be inserted in the third line of provision 2 of the memorandum, after the word "renewable," making the line read, "which lease at the end of two years is to be renewable if desired by the Board of Trustees of the University for a like period," It would be well to strike out the word "net" between "annual" and "rental" in the last line of provision 2, making the statement read, "all at an annual rental, etc." (I would call attention to the fact that appropriations expire at the end of the first fiscal period after the adjournment of the General Assembly, that is, the present appropriation will, in all probability, expire on Sept. 30, 1911, or practically one year and four months from this date.) Third—I think that the University should make sure by a careful preliminary examination that the plant of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, which it is proposed to lease for the period of two years, is really in a good state of repair, which will maintain the building without any expenditures for this purpose during the lifetime of the lease. It seems to me that the College of Physicians and Surgeons should itself pay all taxes, including assessments for local improvements, maintain the property in good condition, and keep it insured.