Cramped quarters and all its attendant ills was the chief reason given late last night by Dean Wallace Brett Donham of the Business School in explanation of the walkout that occurred at four o'clock yesterday afternoon when a petition and notice of the strike was delivered to the Faculty authorities. The petition was presented by Mr. Scott representing the disgruntled men, and bore twenty signatures representing the entire Business School teaching force. It was decided by the strikers that they would make no undue demonstrations unless forced by University action against them.
"If they bring on the staff of Yard Police we cannot be responsible for the results," said Dean Donham. "Our plans at present simply call for an old fashioned walkout."
When asked to be more explicit in regard to the grievances of the commercial mentors which he represents, Dean Donham readily replied, "It is the old grievance of capital and labor," he said smiling. "We across the river suddenly realized that Capital was giving us no support. Big Business was almost completely ignoring one of the largest academic plants in the country and was shirking duty in the subsidy of its operating expenses. It is true that there have been some minor gestures, as witness the Weeks Bridge, but they can only be called casual pittances flung to the Business School shamefacedly by men whom we know from careful records have more than that. Such degrees as given to Mr. Walter B. Baker can only be presented when the donor is on the verge of bank ruptey. In looking over the treatment it has given us, Capital has little of which to be proud."
"Meddling by the officers of the college in Business School affairs is one of the difficulties with which we have had to contend from the first. Sympathy and enthusasm is all right in its place but should not be too ostentatious. This evil extends to the undergraduates, and our earnest workers are greatly bothered by crowds of curious sightseers that flock across the river from the Yard at all times.
"As I said, cramped quarters and a generally inadequate equipment, were one of our chief troubles. The fact that a majority of the books in our library are of fictional character, shows the improvident way we are taken care of.
"All these things play a large part in the strikers' list of grievances but I think I may safely say that there is a large measure of personal feeling among the men. They feel that they are more than white collar workers and should be thought of as such. Every man is confident of his ability to take his place behind any A & P counter in the country and hold his own."
The course that the University authorities will take in the matter is not announced. Mr. Apted said that his force was ready to cope with any emergency.
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