 | Board of Visitors minutes July 10, 1832 |  |
At a meeting of the Visitors of the University of
Virginia at the University July 1832.
July 10th the day appointed for the Meeting of the
Board, no board was formed.
July 11 - The Board met. Present - James Breckenridge,
Joseph C. Cabell, William H. Broadnax, and Thomas J. Randolph.
John H. Cocke appeared and took his seat at the
Board during the day. The Board was organized by calling
General Breckenridge to the Chair. There having been a
new appointment of Visitors by the Executive of the State
since the last meeting in obedience to the act of Assembly
establishing the University, the Board proceeded to the
election of its officers, when the following resolutions
were adopted.
Resolved, That James Madison be elected Rector of the
University.
Resolved, that the health of the Rector preventing his
attendance at the present meeting of the Visitors, James
Breckenridge be elected Rector Pro Tempore.
Resolved, That Frank Carr be elected Secretary of the
Board of Visitors.
The Board were engaged the remainder of the day in
reading communications, and the books of the Chairman and
Faculty.
The Board then adjourned to meet tomorrow.
Thursday July 12.
The Board met according to adjournment. Present the
same members as on yesterday. The following committees
were appointed:
of Finance; Messrs. Broadnax & Cocke.
of Inspection; Messrs. Cabell and Randolph.
of Bursar's & Proctor's accounts; Genl. Cocke.
The following resolution was adopted:
Resolved that all the members of the Board of Visitors be a
Committee of the Whole to take into consideration the propriety
of applying to the Legislature for the establishment
of a Court of record in the University, and with powers
to ask for the same; if they deem it expedient, in the name
of the Rector and Visitors.
The Board then adjourned to meet again tomorrow morning.
Friday July 13.
In consequence of the engagements of the Committees,
a quorum could not be formed in the morning. In the afternoon
the Board met. Present the same members as on yesterday.
A letter was laid before the Board from Mr. Madison,
stating that he was detained from their session by indisposition.
The proceedings of the Faculty of the University on
yesterday were read.
The following resolutions were adopted.
Resolved, that the application of Donald McLeod for
facilities to teach elocution in the University of Virginia,
be referred to the Faculty to dispose of as to them shall
appear expedient; and that the Faculty have discretionary power
to permit Mr. McLeod and his family to reside within the
precincts of the University, if to them it shall appear expedient,
in any house they may find convenient for the purpose,
and on such terms as they shall deem just.
Resolved, that in future the offices of Patron & Proctor
shall be united in the same person.
The Board then adjourned to meet again tomorrow morning.
Saturday July 14.
In consequence of the engagements of the Committees,
no board was formed.
Monday, July 16.
The Board met. Present the same members as on Friday.
The following resolutions were adopted.
Resolved, That the account presented by Dr. Th: Johnson,
exhibiting a balance due of $61.23 1/2 be allowed and paid
by the Proctor.
Resolved, That the appointment of Demonstrator of
Anatomy and Surgery, as at present provided by the enactments,
shall be discontinued; & that in lieu thereof, there
shall be established a Professorship of Anatomy and Surgery.
Resolved, That in the School of Anatomy & Surgery,
shall be taught the Branches of Medical Science known under
those denominations.
Resolved, That until other provision shall be deemed
necessary and proper by the Visitors, the Professor of Anatomy
and Surgery shall have the same standing Salary, fees,
and other emoluments, & privileges, and shall perform the
same duties as are now allowed or prescribed for the Demonstrator
of Anatomy & Surgery.
Resolved, That Doctor Thomas Johnson, late Demonstrator
of Anatomy and Surgery, be elected Professor of Anatomy and
Surgery.
Resolved, That George Tucker, Professor of Moral Philosophy
&c. be elected Chairman of the Faculty for the ensuing
year.
Resolved, That whenever any Hotel Servant, from bad
habits or misconduct, shall be deemed by the Faculty unfit
to remain at the University, it shall be the duty of
the Hotel keeper to dismiss such servant, and upon failure
to do so, shall be liable to a fine at the discretion of
the Faculty.
Resolved, That when the Faculty, the Chairman, any
Professor, or the Proctor shall have reason to beleive that
any Student or Students shall have any knowledge in regard
to the perpetrator of any act committed at that session or
any previous session cognizable by a Grand Jury it shall
be the duty of the Faculty to cause notice to be given him
or them, that process will be obtained to enforce their
appearance before the Grand Jury to give testimony in relation
to such act, and they shall moreover direct the Proctor
to apply for such process, and aid in it's execution.
And the evasion of such process shall be punished by dismission.
Offences discovered in this or any other way
shall be punished in the manner prescribed by the enactments
tho' committed at any preceding session.
Resolved, That the Board are gratified to find that
the Professors have during the present session generally
made their weekly class reports with punctuality. They
observe, however, that few of the Professors have made
them in the form prescribed by the enactments. The Board
would remind the Faculty that they do not deem that form
unimportant, and request that it may be observed in future.
The Board then adjourned, to meet again tomorrow morning.
Teusday July 17.
The Board met according to adjournment. Present the
same members as on yesterday.
The Committee of Inspection made their report. On
their recommendation the following resolutions were adopted.
1. Resolved that it shall be the duty of the Proctor,
under the directions of the Executive Committee, to have
such painting & white-washing executed in the Library, as
they may deem essential to restore & to purify the apartment.
2. Resolved, That in future no public assemblages
shall be held in the Library except those connected with
the public exercises of the University at the annual meetings
of the Visitors.
3. Resolved, that the Librarian, on behalf of the Board
of Visitors, invite the particular attention of the Professors
of the University to the regulations requiring a note
to be left of books taken out of the Library by Professors,
and that such books should not be kept out of the Library
beyond a reasonable time.
4. Resolved, That it shall be the duty of the Proctor
under the direction of the Professor of Chemistry to cause
the Chemical lecture room to be white washed, the benches
in the room to be painted, & the cistern in the Chemical
laboratory to be compleated.
5. Resolved, That the sum of $100 be annually appropriated
from the Funds of the University, for the purpose
of procuring subjects for the Anatomical class, and for
adding to the Anatomical Museum.
6. Resolved, That it shall be the duty of the Proctor,
under the directions of the Professor of Natural Philosophy,
to cause inside shutters to be affixed to the windows of
the Philosophical lecture room, and to make the other improvements
in that apartment which are indicated in Professor
Patterson's Letter of 16th July 1832 to the Committee
of Inspection.
7. Resolved, That it shall be the duty of the Proctor
to furnish the Executive Committee a copy of all unexecuted
resolutions imposing duties on that Committee, with a view
to their prompt Execution in future.
8. Resolved, that the Proctor be required to make out
every year, in future, a separate account in detail of the
expense of all buildings, enclosures, paintings and repairs,
that occur during each year, and submit the same to the
Board of Visitors at it's annual meeting.
9. Resolved, that the sum of $250 be appropriated from
the Funds of the University under the directions of the
Faculty to the encrease of the Library during the ensuing
year.
10. Resolved, that the Librarian report annually to
the Committee of Inspection, the donations to the Library
during the previous year, with the names of the Donors, as
also the whole number of volumes in the Library.
11. Resolved, that it shall be the duty of the Proctor
under the directions of the Executive Committee to cause
addition to the basement story for the accommodation of
Domestics similar to those already annexed to the Pavilions
of Professors Tucker, Bonnycastle, and Harrison, & a stair
case from the 2d to the Garret story of Professor Emmet's
Pavilion similar to the one already executed in Professor
Dunglison's Pavilion, and that Professor Dunglison be reimbursed
from the funds of the University for his advances
for the latter improvement.
Resolved, that the Faculty of this University in
scrutinizing into the commission of offences, against the
laws of the Institution, and ascertaining the persons guilty,
have power to call on any Student or Students and require
him or them to state on their honor whether they
know the perpetrators of such violations of Law, and if
so to inform the Board who they are, and give all the evidence
in their possession against them, & if any student
thus called on shall refuse to give the required information,
the Faculty shall have power to impose on him any punishment
minor or major, now prescribed by the existing laws of
this Institution for any offence, as in their discretion
may be deemed expedient;- including expulsion itself.
Resolved, that the power herein conceded may be forthwith
legitimately exercised in reference to any offence,
heretofore as well as hereafter committed, so as to obtain
such previous offence no otherwise however, than it might
have been punished when the offence was committed.
A communication from a meeting of a number of the
Students of the University held this morning in the Rotunda,
disclaiming all communion with the perpetrators of
some recent acts of wanton mischief and outrage, and stigmatizing
such conduct as disgraceful and ungentlemanly, was
received by the board.
The Board then adjourned to attend the public exercises
of the day in the Library.
In the afternoon the Board met again &, after sometime
spent in consultation, and reading the Faculty proceedings
of the preceeding day, adjourned to meet again on tomorrow
morning.
Wednesday July 18.
The Board met according to adjournment.
Present the same members as on yesterday.
The Committee of Finance reported. The following resolutions
were then adopted.
Resolved, that the account presented by Dr. Dunglison
amounting to $65 be allowed and paid by the Proctor.
Resolved, that the promissary note presented by Dr.
Dunglison, executed by A. S. Brokenborough Proctor to
Geo. W. Spooner and endorsed by the latter, for $94.93 with
the Proctor.
Resolved, that if the Faculty shall be satisfied from
the past conduct or character of any Student of the University,
that his further continuance at the University would
be productive of injury to the Institution, they shall give
notice to the parent or guardian of such Student, if a minor,
and, if of lawful age to the Student himself that he would
not be again permitted to matriculate; and, if any such Student,
whether such notice may or may not have been received,
should present himself for readmission, it shall be the duty
of the Faculty to refuse him the privilege of matriculation.
The Board of Visitors having received a communication
from Dr. Patterson, relative to the purchase last Christmas
by the Proctor, Professor Davis, and himself conjunctly,
of the Slave Lewis Commodore, for the use of the University,
for the reasons detailed in his letter, and proposing to
the Board to assume the purchase on the terms contracted
by them, and the Board assenting to the proposition; therefore
Resolved, that the Proctor pay the sum of $580 for the
purchase of the servant Lewis Commodore, to the person and
at the time as contracted by himself and Professors Patterson
and Davis, and that he be held hereafter as the property of
the University.
Resolved, that the application of Professor Davis respecting
his stable be referred to the Executive Committee.
Resolved that the application of Mrs. Gray respecting
certain repairs to her Hotel be referred to the Executive
Committee.
Resolved, that any committee authorised to settle any
account of the University with it's officers or others,
shall be empowered to employ an accountant to aid them, to
be paid by the Proctor on the warrant of such committee.
Resolved, that $100 from the funds of the University
be applied by the Proctor under the directions of the Professor
of Medicine to the purchase of a mannequin or Phantom
to aid the Professor in his lectures on Obstetricks.
Resolved, that the Executive Committee in proceedings
to Execute the resolutions of the Visitors shall take care
to avoid, as far as possible, any excess of expenditure
over the disposable resources of the University, & if they
find it necessary to discriminate among appropriations,
they shall use their best discretion in giving a preference.
Resolved, that James Madison, Jno. H. Cocke, Th: J.
Randolph, and Joseph C. Cabell constitute the Executive
Committee of this Board, and that any two of them have power,
in the absence of the rest, to act.
Resolved, unanimously, that the resolution of the Visitors
of 20th July 1830, authorising the Executive Committee
to such use as they might deem expedient be repealed.
Resolved unanimously, that, unless the Visitors at
their next annual meeting should otherwise provide, the office
of Tutor of Modern Languages as at present organized
shall be discontinued and, in lieu thereof such other provision
be substituted as the Visitors may then prescribe.
Resolved, that the Secretary be requested to furnish
a copy of these resolutions to the Professor of Modern
Languages.
Resolved, that should either of the Hotel Keepers discontinue
the occupancy of his Hotel on the first of January
next, his successor shall not be appointed by the Proctor
without the consent of the Executive Committee.
Resolved, that Dr. Dunglison be permitted to deliver
lectures on the Philosophy of Natural History untill a professor
of Natural History shall be appointed by the Authorities
of the University. His fee shall be $15.
Resolved, that William G. Pendleton of the City of
Richmond be appointed Proctor and Patron of the University;and
should he not accept the appointment, the office shall
be filled by the Executive Committee
Resolved, that the compensation to the Proctor & Patron
for his services shall be the same commissions which
were heretofore allowed the Patron for administering the
fall short of the sum of $1200 annually the difference
shall be paid to him out of the funds of the University.
Resolved, that the resolution of the Faculty for the
Expulsion of Wm. P. Winfree late a Student of the University
be approved by the Visitors.
Resolved, that the Faculty shall have power to exclude
from the lecture room during the public examinations all
persons at their discretion save the Students under examination.
Resolved, that it shall be competent to the Faculty to
confer the honorary distinction of graduate in the School
of Mixed Mathematics as well as in the School of pure Mathematics;
and this power may be exercised in reference to
the present as well as to future public examinations.
Resolved, that Mrs. Brokenborough, widow of the late
Patron, be authorised to occupy free of rent the buildings
and grounds where she now resides till the end of the present
year, at which time they shall be appropriated to the
use of the Proctor and Patron of the University.
Resolved, that until the end of the present year the
Proctor and Patron shall have authority to occupy Pavilion
No. 7, and thereafter said Pavilion shall be reserved for
the accommodation of the Visitors at their annual meetings,
and appropriated in the intervals of the meetings as an
office for the Proctor and as an additional place of lectures
The Board then adjourned sine die.
| Board of Visitors minutes July 10, 1832 | |