Repository: UIHistories Project: Board of Trustees Minutes - 1946 [PAGE 339]

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336

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

[January 20

PETITION FROM UNIVERSITY STUDENTS FOR IMPROVED HOUSING FACILITIES

(16) Miss Jean Hurt, the Editor of the Daily Illini, has just delivered at this meeting the following petition signed by 2560 students of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, excluding those in the Navy V-12 and the Army Specialized Training Reserve units: We, the undersigned students, hereby petition the President of the University of Illinois to take immediate action for the alleviation of the inadequate and unsatisfactory housing conditions existing on the Urbana campus of the University. We solicit the efforts of the President as head of our University in securing the support of the Board of Trustees and the State Legislature for whatever legislation is necessary to provide adequate housing of good quality for all the students of the University not residing with parents or relatives. This report was received for record.

STATE APPROPRIATION FOR THE CONSTRUCTION O F RESIDENCE HALLS

(17) In August, 1944, the University sent a questionnaire to alumni and former students serving in the armed forces requesting their opinions on certain questions to assist the University in planning its future programs. The questionnaire went to approximately 17,000 who were known to be in the armed forces and for whom addresses were available. Returns have been received from over 7,000. All of these returns have been studied, and at least 4,000 of the questionnaires contain useful information. Seventy-two per cent of those in this group state they wish to return to the University to complete requirements for degrees, or in the case of graduates to take refresher courses to assist them in taking up their professional and other work after the interruption of the war. A similar survey made by the Army among a group of college age men indicated that seventy-three per cent intended to continue their college work. Of course, all who say they intend to return will not do so, which means that these percentages will have to be discounted, but they nevertheless indicate that veterans will return in large numbers. In addition to the war veterans there will be many others now in war industries who will return to complete the requirements for degrees. Another important factor to consider in future planning is that sixty per cent of the veterans who state that they intend to return are married and many of them have children. The returns from the University's questionnaire indicate that a large proportion of these married veterans will want to bring their wives and children with them when they return to the University. This further complicates the problem of providing adequate housing facilities for returning veterans. The Chairman of the University Building Program Committee has presented this matter to the Post-War Planning Commission. The Commission has suggested that consideration be given by the University to requesting the General Assembly to make a special appropriation for the immediate construction of residence halls to house returning veterans. The University's post-war building program includes an item of $3,000,000 for the construction of residence halls. The University Building Program Committee recommends that the General Assembly be requested to make an appropriation of $1,500,000 beginning July i, 1045, for the immediate construction of residence halls to house veterans. This item would then be removed from the building program for the first postwar biennium. I concur in the recommendation.

On motion of Mr. Fornof, the President of the University was authorized to take immediate steps to formulate a program of housing and to secure the introduction and support the passage of legislation to implement the program.