Tales from the Morgue: Student pranks become vandalism

Prexy Pans Students For Vandalism; Bees Are Robbed Of Honey
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Tells Them Responsibility of Running University Shared By Students and Faculty
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President R. B. von KleinSmid addressed a special student body assembly at the University Tuesday noon. Division of the responsibility of running the University in an orderly and effective manner between the students and the faculty was his theme. "I thoroughly enjoy a joke," said the president, "but when it gets to the point where certain actions interfere with the life blood of the University and obstruct the regular routine of class work it ceases to be a joke and takes on an entirely different character."

The utilities of the campus should be regarded sacredly, he said, and heat, light, water, and power facilities should be left along by those that want to play college pranks. The library incident whereby three students cut the wires of the U. of A. library and threw the building into darkness for one evening and brought about the closing of the building, brought the matter to a climax, said Mr. von KleinSmid.

"Three times during the year the dairy laboratory has been entered at night, presumably by students in search of sustenance to appease the 'inner man' and at times doors have been forced and screens torn from windows. When pranks reach this stage they cease to be jokes but become crimes, for it is a legal crime to break into a building.

"The bee hives maintained by the [the previous six words were difficult to read on the microfilm, so may not be exact] classes in entomology have been disturbed also," said President von KleinSmid, "and honey stolen from them. These bee hives are as much a part of the University class work as any other. It was the aim of the class to produce 1000 pounds of honey. Now their work has been hindered and their records vitiated."

About 100 or more students study in the library each night the speaker pointed out and to cut off their light for a half hour means the loss of 50 hours of reading time. He said that these depredations could easily be prevented by policing the campus but that it was not the desire of the administration to do this for it should not be necessary. "All are responsible for the welfare of the University and all must co-operate to see that the right thing is done" he said.

"There is no price too high to pay to teach one that the duties of citizenship devolve upon all and the everyone must bear his share of the burdens of orderly government, not only in college, but in the outside world," concluded the doctor.