116 



tliere and then." Ami T issiio the order. I believe in the sui)reuiacy of the 

 law there. The State universities and ai^riciiltural colleges stand under the 

 law of tlie I'nited States as democratic institutions in which the supremacy 

 i>r liie law is to he regarded. I have never suspended a student when I was 

 angry in my life. I liave never disciplined a student until he was brought 

 lace In lace witli me and stdod in the presence of his fellows, and the result 

 of that is Ihat lliey Icnow if anything goes wrong with a student I wish to see 

 justice d(inr. 1 would miss any important engagement in this country if the 

 question (if a student's welfare were at stake. I want the students to feel 

 Ihat if tliey get up to the i)resident they will have a sipiare deal. After all, 

 we have got to administer these great trusts as men. anil I would not. if my 

 honor, my integrity, my truthfulness, were impugned, in an institution, be presi- 

 dent twenty-four hours. I Itelieve this whole (juestion of college administration 

 and discipline is solved when you le:id a fellow to come right to you and do 

 the right thing, although you have to susjiend him from college. 



The other day a man called me up altout the employment of a certain young 

 man. 1 informed him that he was all right: that I had suspended him from 

 the college, but that I would guarantee him now. He said: "That is a curi- 

 t)us remark, but I will take him." The boy knows that I stand by him. I 

 tell you there is a nnghty saving power in the spirit of ju-stice. dealing fairly 

 and squarely in these propositions. What I despise of all the things in some 

 of these i)laces is the disposition to cover things up and get away from them 



In that matter of examinations 1 have suspended a number of men from the 

 university, and I have never failed to susjiend a man for the remainder of the 

 year. 1 face him witli it and ask him to present the situation, and if he is 

 guilty of that sort of thing out of college he goes. There is no other penalty. 

 He understands that when the time lias expired he has served his penalty 

 and that he is free again to come back just as he came in originally, and without 

 any discrinnnatiou whatever. 



I'i. B. Andrews. May I say just one word as to the official rush? I wish I 

 could see some merit in it. On the other hand. I can not see it at all. Such a 

 thing with the students I have to deal with I know would work evil. I can not 

 see how it can fail to work evil at the Ohio University or any other place. And 

 I have n(>ver in all my life heard, outside of college communities — and we are 

 talking of the civic adndnistration of college people — I have never heard of 

 anything of that sort taking place, at least not as a regular thing. It is always 

 a spontaneous outburst: it is unpremeditated, and so is not the thing I'resident 

 'I'liomitson is talking about. I think in all the companies ot stutlents that 1 

 have been associated with the otlicinl rush would lead right straight liack to 

 barbarism. 



K. ('. Babcock. of Ai-i/.ona. I have bad cxiKTiciicc with two institutions, and 

 at one it terminated in a row. 'I'lie other was at the University of California, 

 where tliey had a barbarous night rush. They had an otticial rush one year. 

 .\fter that the faculty smashed the whole business. 



The CiiAiRMA.N. President Thompson, how do you take care of tilings when ycm 

 ;ire not there? Do you have a faculty system or a system of proctors? 



W. O. Thompson. As far as taking car»> of things is concerned. I think I am 

 always there. At least my insi»irational jireseiice. I am rarely absent. This 

 Is the longest absence this entire year for me at any one time. I stick jiretty 

 close to the m.achine. But in temporary absence I appoint the dean, who will 

 have (barge, and whatever be s:iys will go. .\li of the other details are in the 

 hands cf tlic cxrciitivc <lcrk. 



Thereupon the section adjourned for the day. 



