A drastic cut-back on funds available to the Graduate School of Design exploded this summer with the resignation of Walter Gropius as chairman of the School's Architecture Department. The School of Design is composed of three divisions--architecture, regienal planning, and landscape architecture.

As yet no successor has been named to head the architecture department by Joseph Hudnut '09, Dean of the School. Hudnut himself retired last spring, but has been asked by President Conant to stay on as dean this year.

Gropius resigned on July 23, issuing the following statement: "The large reduction in the staff and budget of the Department of Architecture calls for a drastic reorganization which would be more effective if entrusted to my successor as head of the department."

The budget cuts referred to were ordered last winter by the Prevost's Office, which presented similar economy schedules to other departments of the University. The exact cut that Gropius' department was asked to make is not known, but it is understood that the companion department of regional planning had its budget halved.

Faced with a cut in approprations that was probably of similar dimensions, Gropius resigned. He had already been informed last winter that as an economy move Design 1, a basic course employing many of his own artistic theories, would have to be discontinued effective this fall.

Experimental

Design 1 had been created as a two-year experiment with a special grant of money from the University. When this fund ran out it was ordered discontinued by Hudnut, who called it too expensive and time-consuming.

At the time Gropuis, who had been lobbying for such a course for 14 years, commented that "it is a pity that after it has been built up and been so successful that the teachers have to be given notice now."

The Student Council of the Graduate School of Design prepared and presented to President Conant a petition asking that the course be retained.

Gropius left Cambridge for Paris on September 6, but before going he discussed the problem with the CRIMSON.

He refused to comment on the report that there had been personal antagenism between Hudnut and himself, but added "So far as Design 1 is concerned, I can not see why it is thought to be more expensive than any other of our courses. The only salaries involved were those of an assistant professor and his own assistant.

Inflation Costly

"The problem is of course primarily a financial one. Inflation has made our endowments much less effective. Last year the heads of all the departments in the School of Design were told to go out and raise money by themselves.

"The truly tragic thing about all these budget reductions is that they may kill the unique system we had here of the three divisions--architecture, landscape architecture, and regional planning--all under the same graduate school.

"At most universities there are separate schools for each of the three. At Harvard we have tried to keep all of them together under one roof, and thus profit by the essential unity of all.