Oregon Scramble

In Oregon's educational basket are five eggs, capable of being endlessly scrambled. They are the University of Oregon at Eugene (3,610 students) ; Oregon State Agricultural College at Corvallis (5,570 students) ; and three small normal schools at Monmouth, Ashland and La Grande. Since 1929 the State has planned to unify these in some way. The U. S. Office of Education turned in a survey report in March 1931. A program of unification was drawn up and announced by the State board of higher education last March. Oregon taxpayers, like taxpayers anywhere, would like to see great retrenchments, eliminations of waste and duplication. That the five eggs should be scrambled they agree. But they have not yet been scrambled to everyone's pleasure.

As in the neighboring State of Washington (TIME, Aug. 8, et seq.), in Oregon there has long been rivalry between the State university and State college not only on their campuses but also in the presidential offices and in the legislature where appropriations are battled for. For 25 years Oregon State's president has been William Jasper Kerr, a shrewd manager, popular with some businessmen and with some of the state board whose nine active members include three college graduates. For six years Oregon University's president has been Dr. Arnold Bennett Hall, a true scholar, onetime University of Wisconsin professor of political science. Dr. Hall has complained that his institution has received less money than Oregon State. Calling his a thankless job, Oregonians say that he was induced to take it after a dozen other educators declined.

Last fortnight Dr. Hall resigned to become director of the Brookings Institute of Economics in Washington, D. C. He surprised no one. Under the new unification program, Oregon's system is to be headed by a chancellor who, aloof from campus connections and responsible to the state board, will supervise the work of five college presidents and 15 deans. During heated electioneering, the Oregon State faction urged that the state board appoint their President Kerr, as an able, unbiased man of 25 years' experience. University supporters held that a new man, an outsider, should get the job. Lately Dr. George Frederick Zook, president of the University of Akron, toured the five colleges, conferred with the board. While in Portland he received a letter from State Senator Joseph Edward Dunne warning him: "Even if you consent to take the place and are elected, you will never sit as Chancellor." Dr. Zook hurried away saying nothing. Last fortnight his name was voted down, 5-to-4, and, as Dr. Hall made ready to go down to Washington, President Kerr was boosted into the chancellorship, at $12,000 a year. Charging political bias in the election, two members of the board resigned at once. Last week rumors were still flying, Oregon's educational affairs still scrambled.

Oregon's citizenry are honest, intelligent people. But like the people of many another State who must, through their legislature, run an educational system, they are confused and emotional when the time comes to vote on pedagogical matters which they do not understand. It is easy to take sides on Oregon University v. Oregon State, on Hall v. Kerr. Next November the sovereign voters of Oregon will mull over another muddled matter. On the ballot is an initiative bill, backed by none knows whom but signed with 29,500 voters' names, which offers an entirely new educational setup, apparently as a further economy measure. Thus the voters may decide between moving the University from Eugene to Corvallis and there consolidating it with Oregon State; or distributing the students equally between the two, eliminating thg School of Mines and (to the distress of many an Oregonian) the School of Journalism. The three normal schools may remain intact; or the one in Monmouth may be abandoned and the other two be turned into junior colleges. Should the plant at Eugene be made a teachers' college? Should the various departments of the two major institutions be bundled about, their deans with them, to reside on the campus where most of their strength is? Or should the University Law School be moved to Salem, the State capital, where there is no special attraction for it save the Supreme Court library, already open to well-behaved readers? The voters will decide.

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