University of Virginia Library

The regular monthly meeting of the Board of Visitors of The Rector and Visitors of the University
of Virginia was held on this date in the Office of the President of the University, at Charlottesville,
with the following present. The Rector, Barron F. Black; President Colgate W. Darden, Jr.,
Visitors Barksdale, Coxe, Dunn, Emmett, Gravatt, Gray, Howard, McWane, Mears, Mrs. Smith, Mr. Smith,
Talbott, and Wheeler. Absent: None.

The minutes of the meeting of 9 April 1954, previously distributed, were approved, subject
to a correction in the minute relating to the request of Mrs. Lucille Parson, noted below.

GIFTS AND GRANTS

The President reported receipt of gifts and grants as follows:

                             

From the Seven Society, for the Seven Society Speakers' Fund	$ 77.77
From Mr. John Puryear, for the Hospital	200.00
From the Keyes Foundation, for the John Henry Wheeler Fellowship	500.00
From Mrs. Robert Coleman Taylor, a collection of Civil War books and a collection of American novels, valued at	28,500.00
From the Rockefeller Foundation, for Dr. David McCord Wright to consult with industrial relations specialists in Europe during the summer of 1954	1,350.00
From the International Business Machines Corporation, Richmond office, to the Alderman Library for the purchase of books for the Adolph Lomb Collection	200.00
From Dr. Francis H. McGovern, for the Medical Library	250.00
From Mrs. J. C. Metcalf, for the Metcalf Memorial Fund	100.00
From the University Hospital Circle, to the Hospital for the purchase of drugs for indigents	200.00
From an anonymous donor, to the Woodrow Wilson Department of Foreign Affairs, to be used to pay the honorarium for the Michalowski lectures	300.00
From the University League, for a fellowship in the Department of Speech	625.00
From the Veterans Administration, for continued research under the direction of Alfred Chanutin	2,875.00
From the Department of the Navy, for continued research in physics under the direction of Dr. J. W. Beams	35,000.00
From the National Science Foundation, for research under the direction of Dr. B. D. Reynolds	12,000.00
From Allen-Sherman-Hoff Pump Company, for research in chemical engineering under the direction of Prof. R. M. Hubbard	1,500.00

LEAVES OF ABSENCE

The Board adopted the following resolution

RESOLVED by the Board of Visitors of The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
that the following faculty members be and they are hereby granted leave of absence without pay.

Dr. Edward Samuel Overman, Associate Professor of Political Science, for the session of
1954-55, to accept a Ford Foundation fellowship, his leave to commence on September 15, 1954,
and end on June 14, 1955.

Dr. Rowland A. Egger, Professor of Political Science, from June 1, 1954, through August 31,
1956, to take charge of the work of the Ford Foundation in the Middle East.

Dr. David C. Yalden-Thomson, Associate Professor of Philosophy, for the session of 1954-55 to
accept a Ford Foundation fellowship.

PROMOTION

The Board adopted the following resolution

RESOLVED by the Board of Visitors of The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
that Mr. Rexmond Canning Cochrane, Instructor in English, be and he is hereby promoted to
Assistant Professor of English for the session of 1954-55. This is a one-year appointment only

ELECTIONS

The following resolution was adopted by the Board

RESOLVED by the Board of Visitors of The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
that the following persons be and they are hereby elected to the faculty:

Dr. Loren G. Hepler as Assistant Professor of Chemistry for a three-year period, beginning in
September, 1954, at a session salary of $4,450.00

Mr. Cyrus Henry Hoy as Instructor in English, beginning in September, 1954, at a session salary
of $3,300.00.

Mr. Fulvio Antonio Iachetta as Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering beginning in
September, 1954, at a session salary of $4,200.00

APPOINTMENTS

In accordance with the resolution adopted by the Board of Visitors of The Rector and Visitors
of the University of Virginia on July 14, 1945, authorizing the President to give the proper
professorial standing on the faculty to officers of the armed services on duty at the University
in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps program, the following appointments were announced by
the President

Lieutenant Glen Edward Jenkins as Assistant Professor of Naval Science, effective in the
summer of 1954, at no salary from the University.

Lieutenant John Marion Mathews as Assistant Professor of Naval Science, effective in the
summer of 1954, at no salary from the University.

Captain George M. Wallace as Assistant Professor of Military Science and Tactics, effective in
the summer of 1954, at no salary from the University

UNCOLLECTIBLE HOSPITAL ACCOUNTS

The Board adopted the following resolution

RESOLVED by the Board of Visitors of The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
that the Hospital Accounts Committee be and it is hereby authorized to charge off as uncollectible
accounts Schedules 441, 444, and 445, aggregating $18,648.99, recommended by them for cancellation

REGIONAL SCHOLARSHIPS

President Darden presented a proposal that the Comptroller be authorized to transfer $500,000
from income of the duPont Scholarship Fund to the Consolidated Endowment Fund to support and increase
the number of regional scholarships for undergraduates, thus enabling the University to
execute more effectively the original intentions of the donor.

After discussion the Board adopted the following resolution.

RESOLVED by the Board of Visitors of The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
that the Comptroller of the University be and he is hereby authorized to add to the Consolidated
Endowment Fund $500,000 of the accumulated and unexpended income of the duPont Scholarship Fund
to make possible an increase in the number of Regional Scholarships offered to students entering
the undergraduate schools of the University

PAYMENT TO ATTORNEY FOR SPECIAL SERVICES

President Darden reported that Mr. C. Venable Minor, the University's Special Counsel, had
submitted a bill for $329.69 for additional services performed by him beyond the normal routine
in connection with the Ivan J. Peters case and for expenses incurred by him in handling the case.
The Board resolved that the special payment be approved

USE OF UNIVERSITY CHAPEL

The President read to the Board a letter from Mr. Charles K. Woltz, written on behalf of
St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church of Charlottesville, which has been permitted to use
the University Chapel during the present session for its regular church services, requesting
an extension of this arrangement through the summer months and the 1954-55 session.

In the discussion which followed, it was noted by members of the Board that the officers
of the Lutheran congregation had expressed an intention of accommodating their use of the
Chapel to the needs of others, such as the Wesley Methodist Congregation. The Board adopted
the following resolution.

RESOLVED by the Board of Visitors of The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
that the Comptroller be and he is hereby authorized to grant on a conditional basis the
petition of the Congregation of St. Mark's Evangelical Lutheran Church for an extension of
the agreement for use of the University Chapel through June 1955, provided that the following
three conditions are agreed to be the Congregation. (1) The University reserves the right
to cancel the arrangement at any time upon thirty days' notice, (2) The University reserves
the right to cancel use of the Chapel by the Lutheran Congregation on any specific day when
such use may conflict with University needs, and (3) The Lutheran Congregation agrees not to
request any extension of the arrangement beyond June 1955, and understands that the University
is not willing to grant an extension beyond that date.

ADMISSION OF MRS. PARSON TO THE COLLEGE

President Darden referred to the minutes of the April 9th meeting of the Board relative
to the application of Mrs. Lucille Parson for permission to matriculate in the College,
pointing out that the language of the minutes appeared to be a judgment by the Board of
Mrs. Parson's qualifications as a student.

The Board thereupon resolved that the concluding portion of the minute in question be
revised to read as follows: ". . the Board resolved that Mrs. Parson, as the wife of a
professor, should be admitted, upon application, as a regular student in the College of
Arts and Sciences provided that her qualifications for admission be equal to the
qualifications required of male applicants admitted to the College, and that her sex should
not be a bar to admission."

REQUEST FOR TESTIMONY ON COMBS HEARINGS

Referring to the request from Mr. Walter Chinn, of Fredericksburg, for permission to read
the transcript of testimony in the hearing before the Board of charges against Dr. Combs, the
Rector read aloud to the Board the letter that he had written to Mr. Chinn in response to the
Board's resolution of April 9th.

The Rector, stating that this letter had brought forth no response from Mr. Chinn except
a rather unsatisfactory telephone call, asked for an expression of the wishes of the Board
in the event that Mr. Chinn shall request permission to see the Board's minutes relative to
the charges against Dr. Combs

In the discussion that followed, Mr. Black reported that he had consulted the Attorney
General, Mr. Lindsay Almond, as to the legal status of the Board's minutes. The
Attorney General appeared to consider it incumbent on the Board to make its minutes, but
not its correspondence and other papers, available for inspection, under the custodian's
supervision, to citizens making application to the Board and stating a proper reason for the
inspection.

After further discussion, during which the Rector read to the Board a letter addressed to
the Secretary by Dr. Gilbert Lipton, of Fredericksburg, the Board resolved that if a further
request is received from Mr. Chinn, the Rector shall advise him that he can examine the
minutes at the University in the presence of the Custodian, providing that he shall state
in writing to the Rector a proper purpose for the inspection.

PROFESSOR WRIGHT AND DAWSON'S ROW

The Rector read to the Board a letter from Professor David McCord Wright requesting a
policy declaration regarding the University house that he occupies at No. 2 Dawson's Row, and
offering to make repairs to the house at his own expense. After discussion the Board adopted
the following resolution

RESOLVED by the Board of Visitors of The Rector and Visitors of the University of Virginia
that the Board adheres to its policy on No. 2 Dawson's Row as embraced in the following
points. (1) No. 2 Dawson's Row is a temporary structure, subject to demolition at any time
by order of the Board, (2) The house was leased to its present tenant with the full understanding
that the arrangement was temporary, (3) The continuance of the present lease or
any lease to a future tenant shall be upon a temporary basis, subject to termination on
short notice, (4) Residence in the University Grounds is a privilege, not a right of University
professors, only a few houses are available, and not all of these are permanent structures,
and (5) The Board is opposed to the undertaking by tenants of University houses of costly
repairs at their own expense, such an undertaking may result in losses to the tenant
for which the Board cannot be responsible, repairs appropriate for a house that will
be demolished, probably not more than two years hence, shall be undertaken at No. 2 Dawson's
Row by the Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds.

McINTIRE TRUST

To allow time for study of the subject, the proposal for changes in the McIntire Trust was
carried over to the next regular meeting.

STUDENT DISCIPLINE

At the request of the Rector, President Darden reported on the action taken regarding an
occurrence of student misconduct that took place on the weekend of April 3rd-4th. He outlined
the inquiry conducted by himself and by Mr. Richard R. Fletcher, Director of Student Affairs,
following a complaint from the parents of a young woman who had been a guest of a University
student on the weekend in question, and leading to his expulsion of four students, the
suspension for varying periods of seven others, and the withholding for one year of the degree
of a recent alumnus. The inquiry was completed and the penalties set on April 25th.

President Darden had thought it appropriate to decline a proposal from attorneys employed
by the disciplined students for a review of the inquiry and penalties by a committee of
impartial citizens. The President said, however, that he had told the attorneys he was
willing to review the inquiry and findings in the presence of a committee from the Board, and
to give the utmost consideration to the opinions expressed by such a committee. This procedure
had been undertaken and completed during the past two days.

The Rector continued the summary, reporting that he had met with the attorneys in Richmond
on last Friday, May 7th, and had appointed a Committee consisting of himself, Judge Barksdale,
Judge Gravatt, Mr. Howard, and Judge Smith to sit with the President in a review of the case.
This Committee had sat in continuous session all day on Wednesday, May 12th and Thursday,
May 13th. Every charged student had been given a full hearing, and parents and attorneys had
been permitted to be in the room. Each attorney had been given a free rein in examination and
cross-examination of witnesses and in argument on behalf of his particular client or clients.

Most of the first day, the Rector reported, had been devoted to an exhaustive study of the
methods used in conducting the original inquiry. The Committee had been fully satisfied from
the students' own testimony that no promises of immunity had been made by Mr. Fletcher, and
that no student had been left under a belief that he had been promised (1) immunity
from discipline, or (2) anonymity (except in the case of attorneys for the family of the young
woman involved).

At the conclusion of the hearing, the Committee conferred at considerable length with Mr.
Darden. Its function was merely advisory. It suggested to Mr. Darden that the suspension
penalties imposed upon four of the students were perhaps a little lengthy in consideration
of the actual involvement of these students. As to one of the students who was expelled, the
Committee thought that this expulsion could be softened to a somewhat lengthy suspension.
With this exception, the Committee was of the opinion that the other punishments were reasonable
and fair. Mr. Darden stated that before imposing these punishments, he had consulted three
of the deans of the school, and they had all been of the opinion that the punishments were
not too harsh. However, he acquiesced in the suggestions of the Committee, and the punishments
were changed accordingly. The action of the Committee was a unanimous one.

The President stated that the students were still continuing at the University and that all
penalties had been held in abeyance pending the completion of the review by the Committee from
the Board.

In the discussion that followed, it was emphasized by Judge Smith and other members of
the Committee that varying degrees of punishment for similar offenses clearly represented
varying degrees of involvement, responsibility, and guilt on the part of the several students
concerned.

COMMITTEE ON STUDENT CONDUCT

The Rector appointed Judge Barksdale, Chairman, Judge Gravatt, Mr. Howard, and Judge Smith
as a special committee to work with the President in a study of the regulation and control of
student conduct and discipline. The purpose of this Committee was to endeavor to prevent the
recurrence of such incidents as are described in the preceding part of these minutes

MARY WASHINGTON COLLEGE MATTERS

GROUP ACCIDENT INSURANCE

The policy of the College in recent years in carrying a group insurance plan to cover
expenses of students involved in motor accidents was discussed by the Chancellor, who read
to the Board a letter on the subject, written to President Combs on May 7th by Mr. Peter
Roughton of the North America Assurance Society

The Board resolved that as a general policy the Bursar of Mary Washington College should
obtain bids from companies wishing to submit them before entering into a contract for insurance.

ADOPTION OF BUDGET

Mr. Howard, Chairman of the Committee on Mary Washington College, presented the College Budget,
and laid before the Board copies of a letter addressed to the Chancellor on April 23rd, by the
Bursar, Mr. Woodward, explaining certain budget items that had been questioned in Mr. Gravatt's
letter of April 12th.

On behalf of the Committee, Mr. Howard recommended adoption of the Budget, subject to the
following amendments.

1. That for the present only one position be filled in Psychology.

2. That salary of President Combs remain at $10,600 and not increased to $11,200.00

3. That salary of Dean Alvey be increased from $7,440.00 to $8,000.00.

4. That Student Aid rates be increased from 40 cents per hour to 60 cents per hour.

5. Reduce "Rent for Leased Buildings" from $27,879.50 to $20,879.50, due to fact that
Burke-Hudson Apartment Building will no longer be rented.

6. The position of Social Director, now held by Mrs. Virginia Lawrence Payne, to be
abolished.

After considerable discussion the Board resolved to accept and approve the Budget as
presented, subject to the six amendments stated above.

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On motion the meeting was then adjourned.