Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 58, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 November 1909 — HAZING AND ROWDYISM SCORED. [ARTICLE]

HAZING AND ROWDYISM SCORED.

The School Superintendents’ Club Elects Officers. Columbus, Ind., Oct., 30.—The Southern Indiana Superintendents’ fifteenth annual meeting of the Club closed here last night after electing A. G. Baugham, of Mt. Vernon, president, and C. M. Mangrum, of New Harmony, secretary. The next meeting will be held at Mt. Vernon. The closing session was spent in the discussion of various topics that had been suggested by the superintendents to members of the club. The topic that attracted the greatest amount of discussion was college rowdyism, the general opinion being that so-called college rowdyism could be prevented if the college and university presidents and trustees in this state would take a determined stand against it. , The school superintendents deplored tank scraps, class rushes, kidnapping, hazing, etc., and said that they believed the reason that these practices were in vogue in Indiana was because the college and university officials did not wish to make a determined effort to stop them.

’■ One member of the club suggested that a good plan would be for the legislature to “tack a rider” on the appropriation bills for colleges and universities, providing that whenever rowdysm was displayed in any of these seats of learning the appropriation would be void and no money would be available. It was his belief that this would put an end to students’ pranks. Another question up for discussion was “Who Has Utilized the Law against Fraternities?” The school officials soon settled the discussion of this question because, while nearly every school in the club had Greek letter fraternities a few years ago, they have gradually been eliminated. ,The last to be put out of existence was at Brazil a few days ago.

The effect of football upon the moral tone of the school was generally'discussed by the educators, and the unanimous opinion was that high schools should not have football and that high school boyß should not be allowed to engage in athletic games away from home. Most of the superintendents declared that high school boys were not old enough to play football. A bill introduced in the last session of the legislature, providing that the funds for school use be distributed on a basis of the average daily attendance instead of on the school enrollment, as is now the case, came up for discussion, and only one superintendent, J. H. Tomlin, of Terre Haute, was found to be in favor of the proposed change. This bill was defeated in the last session of the legislature. Manual training and domestic science in towns of 1,500 population or thereabouts was discussed, and it was found that practically one-half of the schools represented in this organization have manual training of some kind. It was the consensus of opinion that other branches of school woik should not be slighted, however, in making provision for manual training and domestic science. Representatves were present from Vincennes, New' Harmony, Brazil, Bedford, Greencastle, North Vernon! Boonville, Seymour, Rising Sun! Greenfield, Greenb lrg, Terre Haute! Browntown and Columbus. College men who were in attendance from Indiana Central university, and WA. Millis, president of Hanover college, were in sympathy with the opinion against college rowdyism. Lawrence McTurnan, former superintendent of public instruction, was among those who attended the meeting.