Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1914 [PAGE 69]

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1912]

PROCEEDINGS OP THE BOARD OP TRUSTEES.

67

of Agriculture, though they are not fundamentally of such importance in the College of Engineering. They must provide a large part of the scientific instruction upon the basis of which a curriculum of a scientific agricultural college should be established. » Neither of these departments is adequately housed, adequately equipped, or adequately manned. The Department of Botany, including in an administrative way the Department of Bacteriology, is especially crowded for space, especially in need of adequate equipment and adequate instructional force. In order to provide for the necessary additional space for these two departments, the present Natural History Building should be completed by adding the omitted section at the central portion of the east side of the building, at a cost probably of between seventy-five and one hundred thousand dollars. Provision should be made elsewhere for the administrative offices, which are now upon the second floor of the new portion of the building, and provision should be made for the removal of the Geological Survey and perhaps of the Natural History Survey from this building and the housing of them in new quarters* If the Commerce Building could be completed, at least on the south and western sides, space might be found for the administrative offices for a few years to come, and this would perhaps be the best practical solution. This would leave a large space which, with the addition to the building and the additional space obtained by the removal of the Geological Survey quarters, would give to botany and zoology adequate space, particularly if physiology could be provided for elsewhere. We have at the University a number of departments which are in essence rather administrative departments of the State Government than scientific departments of the University. Thus the Geological Survey, while made by law a bureau of the University, is under the control of a board consisting of the Governor of the State, the President of the State University, and one other person appointed by the Governor. The State Entomologist's Office is distinctly an administrative department of the State Government. The State Entomologist is appointed by the Governor, and while the funds for this department pass through the hands of the Trustees of the University of Illinois, the trustees have practically no control over their'disposition. The State Laboratory of Natural History, although an integral part of the University and subject to the control of the trustees as absolutely as any other department, is also, owing to the history of the survey and its connection with the present director, the distinguished zoologist, Professor S. A. Forbes, and the added fact that it has a special appropriation from the State Government, to some extent an independent department, I should like to raise the question whether it would not be a wise thing to ask the next Legislature for money to erect a State Laboratory Building in which should be housed those departments of public administration such as I have mentioned, with any others which the State may see fit to impose upon the University, and adding those departments of instruction which for one reason or another may be best associated with these departments. It might, for example, be well to put the Department of Zoology in such a State Laboratory Building, along with the State Geological Survey, and other similar adjustments might be made. If this could be done, we should have in the present Natural History Building adequate space for the Departments of Zoology and Botany for years to come, especially if, as suggested above, physiology could be taken care of in a special laboratory building for the medical sciences. The attention of the members of the board is respectfully called to these possibilities, and they are requested to give consideration to these matters against the time when the decision must be made.

BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS U N D E R D I R E C T I O N ARCHITECT. OF SUPERVISING

(9) A recommendation that, pending the further action of the board upon the reorganization of the business departments of the University, the Department of Buildings, now under the charge of Mr. Joseph A. Morrow, as superintendent of buildings, and the Department of Grounds, now under the charge of Mr. Evelyn Atkinson, as superintendent of grounds, be placed under the direction of the supervising architect, and that the superintendents of buildings and grounds be made directly responsible to the supervising architect in the administration of their respective departments; and, further, that in all matters concerning the planting or removal of trees and shrubs the approval of Professor J. C. Blair, head of the Department of Horticulture, shall be obtained.

This recommendation was approved.

C L E A N T O W E L SYSTEM IN MEN'S GYMNASIUM.

(10) A request from Mr. George Huff, Director of Physical Training for Men, approved by the Council of Administration, that he be authorized to increase the locker fee in the Men's Gymnasium from 50 cents to $1 a semester, in order to provide funds for the support of a clean towel system, the plan of which will be as follows: A deposit of 25 cents will be required for each student for his first towel; every time thereafter that he returns a soiled towel to the attendant, he will be given a clean one. Director Huff thinks this plan would undoubtedly tend to a more cleanly condition in the department and lessen the probability of the spread of contagious disease. The additional sum received would just about pay for the actual cost of laundry and depreciation.