and the American economy and the American educational systems, and so forth. For I say to you, in all sincerity, sir, you can't carry on the terms of this bill without virtually destroying the colleges, junior colleges, and universities of this country. The CHAIRMAN. Well, now Mr. BARDEN. Which have made a great and valuable contribution to America from its very beginning. The CHAIRMAN. All right. Now, you make that indictment. Now, let's analyze it. Mr. BARDEN. Mr. Chairman, will you let me analyze it? The CHAIRMAN. All right. Mr. BARDEN. I would prefer my way. The CHAIRMAN. All right. Mr. BARDEN. And then I will listen to you. In the Seventy-ninth Congress the floor leader, Mr. McCormack, introduced a resolution after the 18-year-old-draft amendment had been added in November 1942, which made the 18-year-old draft become effective in 1943. By 1944 the colleges and schools and universities were staggering on the ropes. Their enrollment had fallen to 27 percent, and Mr. McCormack introduced this resolution and called upon my committee, the Education Committee, to at once make a survey of the existing conditions of the colleges and schools of this country, and that we did, and the report, Mr. Chairman, is House report No. 214, and it is one of the finest and one of the most enlightening reports, especially in the light of the present-day happenings. It is prophetic in that it predicts for the very times that we are going through now. That report took 6 months and some of the finest educators in America met over there and worked day and night. I have never seen a group of men work more sincerely and work any harder on a report than they did. I would like to call the names of these men : Francis J. Brown was executive director-the clerk you might say, or the chief clerk. Cloyd H. Marvin, chairman-let me get the schools that they were attached to: Cloyd H. Marvin, chairman, George Washington University, Washington, D. C. Charles Anderson, department of history, Presbyterian Historical Society, Philadelphia, Pa. William Couper, Virginia Military Institute, Lexington, Va. Herman L. Donovan, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Ky. Walter C. Eells, Association of American Junior Colleges, Washington, D. C. Calvert Ellis, Juanita College, Huntington, Pa. Herbert Herring, Duke University, Durham, N. C. Rev. William Murphy, S. J., Boston College, Chestnut Hill, Mass. G. Herbert Smith, Willamette University, Salem, Oreg. Roscoe L. West, New Jersey State Teachers College, Trenton, N. J. Now, they went into this, and the problem then was how the Federal Government could subsidize these colleges and keep the doors open long enough without disintegrating their faculties and their teaching personnel, but keep those doors open long enough for the boys to come back and enter into them. They finished their report, and immediately following the finishing of the report, then they began to bring the boys back and the solution began to work its own way out with the colleges. But had that not happened, then your universities and your schools and your colleges and your junior-well, not so much your universities because they are tax-supported, but your privately endowed institutions and your private institutions run from private sources would have simply been out. They also found, as I said, in 1944, their male enlistment or enrollment had dropped down to approximately 27 percent. Now, Mr. Chairman, we are entering into this program. There is some question about whether it shall run 24 months or 27 months. I don't know which it will run or whether it will run longer so far as that is concerned, but this one thing I do know, and statistics after the recent World War II will show it: Once a boy is taken from high school into the service, the chances are away many to one that he will not then return to college. If he enters college and begins his college, then the chances are that he will return. I was looking at the statistics in one Indiana college the other day and 86 percent of the GI boys in that school were boys that had previously entered college, so I say to you, Mr. Chairman, there is no assurance here at this hour that there will be a GI bill, and if there is no GI bill and if we siphon off the next-year freshman class, how long can colleges maintain their teaching personnel and maintain their instructors and keep their doors open without income? Upon those statements, Mr. Chairman, I say to you that this bill, if carried through as is, will virtually wreck our college system in America as we know it. Now, if the chairman has any question on that point I will do my best to answer it. The CHAIRMAN. All right. Mr. Rivers. Mr. RIVERS. I just wondered if my distinguished colleague would yield for this interruption: Unusually, I was 5 minutes late. I didn't hear your first statement, but are you against universal military training as such? Mr. BARDEN. Certainly I am not against universal military training. Mr. RIVERS. I just wanted to find out. Mr. BARDEN. But I will say to the gentleman: The term "universal military training" has reached the point where it is about like religion. I am not opposed to religion but there are some religions I am not going to embrace. Mr. RIVERS. Of course, I am against sin myself. Mr. BARDEN. Then-but I say to you there is such a thing as working cut a very practical, a very strong, and a very fine universal military system that can be consistent with the American way of life. Mr. RIVERS. Well, do you think it should come after this draft or the emergency is over; is that your point? I want to get your point. Mr. BARDEN. I would say to the gentleman this: That I do not see how you can consolidate a draft bill and a universal military training bill without sacrificing some of the most valuable elements that you would put into a universal military training bill. Mr. RIVERS. Then your point is Mr. BARDEN. Of course we can't forget, gentlemen, that our educational system in America is probably the greatest contribution western civilization has made to the world. We can't overlook it. We can't pass it up and let it fall apart. Mr. RIVERS. Your point is-I want to get your point. Is that you can't operate the two systems concurrently? Mr. BARDEN. I do not think it is practical. Mr. RIVERS. Yes. I just wanted to find out. Mr. BARDEN. I do not think it is practical. your point The CHAIRMAN. What other observation do you desire to submit, Mr. Barden? What other observation do you desire to submit in regard to the bill! You covered that point. Now, the other point was about the deferments, when you spoke to me the other day. Mr. BARDEN. Mr. Chairman, I would like in some way to see that this report, that probably cost the Government some $15,000, could be put to use. It has some valuable information in there, some that the War Department knows nothing about, and certainly have not given any publicity to. I would like to have it made a part of the record in some way that it will be available to the membership of this House, for the simple reason Mr. SHORT. What is it? The CHAIRMAN. What document number, and we will get copies of it. We will not reprint it again because it will entail that additional expense. Mr. BARDEN. The trouble I am up against Mr. Chairman, is the fact that there are not enough prints in existence now. The CHAIRMAN. Let the document be printed in the record. Mr. BARDEN. It is House Report No. 214 of the Seventy-ninth Congress. The CHAIRMAN. Put that in the record. Mr. BARDEN. First session. (The document referred to is as follows:) EFFECT OF CERTAIN WAR ACTIVITIES ON COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES RECOMMENDATIONS The advisory committee, appointed by the Committee on Education of the House of Representatives, to conduct the study of higher education authorized by House Resolution 592 (78th Cong.) and House Resolution 63 (79th Cong.) submits the following recommendations and report. The committee recognizes the critical situation faced by many higher educational institutions as a result of war, but it does not find the situation sufficiently critical to justify legislative action to become effective prior to July 1, 1945. With every month that the war continues the difficulties faced by higher education will become increasingly serious. In order that plans may be in operation by July 1, 1945, steps should be taken now to alleviate the situation when it becomes critical. These include measures requiring legislative action and some that do not. Consideration should also be given to longer-range plans to meet the greatly expanded need for the services of higher education after the war. The methods of conducting the study, the supporting data including the judgments of representatives of higher education, and the interpretation of the data are given later in the report. Based upon its study, the advisory committee makes the following recommendations: DEFINITIONS I. "Higher educational institutions" as referred to in the following recommendations shall include all approved public and private universities, colleges, professional schools, teachers colleges, junior colleges, normal schools, technical institutes, and other institutions which normally require for entrance highschool education or its equivalent; provided that the private higher educational institutions be nonprofit institutions which have been held exempt from taxation under section 101 (6) of the Internal Revenue Code. II. "Approved" institutions of higher education are those which are approved, accredited, or have received equivalent recognition on the part of a recognized national, regional, or State (or District of Columbia or Territorial) agency. SPECIFIC RECOMMENDATIONS I. The committee recognizes the present serious shortage of manpower to meet the demands of war. It specifically calls attention, however, to the rapidly increasing shortage of men in professional fields essential to the national welfare, such as, medicine, dentistry, engineering, physics, chemistry, divinity, and others. With each year of war the gap in the flow of young men into these essential fields becomes a more serious threat to the national health, safety, or interest. The committee recommends that A. At the earliest possible time Selective Service reestablish student deferment for those majoring in fields essential to the national welfare and for which extended periods of training are necessary. B. In plans for National Service, provision be made in the legislation for the exemption, for the period of their training, of students in fields essential to the national welfare and for which extended periods of training are necessary. II. The War Department has announced its plan of a point system as a basis for discharge of military personnel. In the plan as stated, no provision was made for preferential discharge of former students preparing for fields essential to the national welfare. Since such men have partly completed their education, preferential discharge will lessen the gap in the flow of trained men and women into such fields. The committee recommends that The War and Navy Departments include in their bases for discharge, consideration of the educational plans of those who have completed two or more years of college education in essential fields and who will continue their education in these fields after their discharge. III. It is essential in the national interest that higher educational institutions continue to function at a high level of effectiveness. This cannot be done if faculty members in areas of teacher shortage are inducted into the armed forces or national service. The committee recommends that A. Faculty members teaching in essential fields be deferred to meet the educational needs of veterans and others. B. In plans for National Service faculty members of higher educational institutions, teaching in necessary fields, be considered as being engaged in an essential activity. IV. In certain fields of instruction in higher educational institutions there is now a serious shortage in teaching personnel. The committee recommends thatMembers of faculties of higher educational institutions whose services are requested by the institutions be given priority in release from military duty, or other Government positions. V. The armed forces and other Government agencies already have surplus commodities no longer necessary for the prosecution of the war, and the variety and quantity of these will increase. The committee recommends that Procedures be established immediately by the Office of War Mobilization and Reconversion to facilitate acquisition by gift or purchase of such materials by higher educational institutions. VI. Since both public and private higher educational institutions receive a portion of their income through gifts, the committee recommends that Legislation be enacted to increase the present exemption for gifts to higher educational institutions in the provisions of corporation and individual income tax laws with a view to stimulating and increasing such gifts. VII. War has already caused a serious loss in the effectiveness of higher education, an important part of which is the result of the loss of income from student fees. To compensate in part for this and to prevent the present crisis in higher educational institutions from becoming so acute as to undermine seriously the whole structure of higher education, the committee recommends that— A. A nonpartisan Commission on Emergency Federal Aid to Higher Educational Institutions be appointed to receive and approve applications for stand-by and other service contracts and to negotiate such contracts with higher educational institutions. B. The Commission on Emergency Federal Aid to Higher Educational Institutions be appointed as the Congress may provide, subject to its approval; shall be seven in number, at least four of whom shall be experienced administrative officers representative of the various types of higher educational institutions. Its functions shall be (a) To review the financial status of those higher educational institutions which apply for Federal contracts; (b) To determine the amount and nature of such Federal contracts within the provisions described below; and (c) To negotiate such contracts with higher educational institutions. 3. The Commission be authorized to- (a) Employ and fix the compensation of such staff as it finds necessary; (b) With the consent of the head of any department or agency of the United States, utilize the services, facilities, and personnel of such department or agency; (c) Request such information and assistance as it deems desirable from individuals, organizations, and agencies, both within and outside of government; and (d) Meet at such intervals as the responsibilities of the Commission make necessary. D. The Commission shall cease to exist within 6 months after the termination of the War. E. Higher educational institutions which meet the following qualification be assumed to be in a critical financial situation and may make application for a stand-by or other service contract— When the full-time (and equivalent part-time) resident enrollment, both military and civilian, of a higher educational institution has dropped for three consecutive quarters or two consecutive semesters below 60 percent of the full-time (and equivalent part-time) resident enrollment average of the nine quarters or six semesters for the academic years, 1937-38, 1938–39, and 1939-40. F. Such contracts in aid for stand-by and other services be drawn on the following basis: (a) Contracts shall be computed as of the beginning date and written for each quarter or semester separately. (b) The amount of such contract shall be determined on the basis of need demonstrated as prescribed by the Commission and shall not be in excess of the product of— 1. The difference between full-time (and equivalent part-time) resident student enrollment, civilian and military, in any current quarter or semester and 60 percent of the average enrollment on the same basis for the nine quarters or six semesters of the academic years, 1937-38, 1938-39, and 1939-40. 2. The average per capita student fee available for instructional purposes charged and collected for the nine quarters or six semesters of the same base period. |