ELECTION OF GOVERNING BOARD

The prospect that the Corporation and the Board of Overseers may in the near future avail themselves of the right to extend the present limitations of the franchise in the election of Overseers gives interest to the regulations in force in other universities where the alumni are allowed to participate in the election of governing boards. The machinery by means of which such elections are conducted at Yale and at McGill University in Montreal is interesting both on account of the rules governing eligibility at these universities and because both allow the voters to send their ballots by mail if they prefer so doing to depositing them in person. The rather elaborate organization of the McGill Corporation is not of immediate concern to Harvard graduates, except so far as it provides for alumni representation, but it is described in full in order that the relative extent of that representation may be shown.

Practice at Yale.

Yale has one governing board known as the Corporation, consisting of the President and seventeen Fellows, including the Governor and the Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut, who are Fellows ex officio. Of the other fifteen, six are elected by the graduates for terms of six years; nine hold office without limit of tenure, and vacancies in their number are filled by the Corporation.

The terms of the elected Fellows are arranged to fall so that one vacancy occurs each year by expiration of term. All graduates of the first degree, of five or more years standing, in any of the departments of the University, and all persons who have been admitted to any degree higher than the first, whether honorary or in course, are entitled to vote, and are eligible for the office of Fellow. Fellows are eligible for re-election.

The term "graduates of the first degree" includes Bachelors of Arts, Civil Law, Laws, Divinity, Fine Arts, Music and Philosophy (the first Scientific degree) and Doctors of Medicine; "higher degrees in course" include Masters of Arts, Forestry, Law and Science, Mechanical Engineers, Civil Engineers and Doctors of Philosophy and of Civil Law.

The Act of Legislature providing for the election of Fellows directs that the votes shall be cast under such regulations as the President and Fellows may prescribe, and the existing rules allow the voters to send their ballots by mail to the Secretary, or otherwise to provide for depositing them at the proper place on the day of election. The election is by plurality of votes. It is conducted in the following manner:

In March of each year a circular is sent by the Secretary to each graduate who is entitled to vote, citing the provisions of the act governing the election of Fellows, informing him that he will be entitled to vote in the election to be held on the day preceding the ensuing Commencement, announcing the vacancy which is to occur through the expiration of the term of one of the Fellows, and inviting him to send a nomination. A nomination blank is enclosed with the circular, which also contains a list of the actual members of the Corporation. In May a circular is issued citing the Act above mentioned and announcing the vacancy as before, giving the names of all candidates who have been nominated by as many as twenty-five electors, the date and hours when the polls will be open, and the provisions governing the deposit of ballots. With the circular a blank ballot is enclosed, and the names of the actual members of the Corporation are given.

Practice at McGill.

The Corporation of McGill University consists of "the Governors, Principal and Fellows." Its powers are fixed by statute and include the framing of all regulations touching courses of study, matriculation and graduation, and the granting of degrees.

The Governors are fifteen in number. In them are vested the management of finances, the passing of University statutes and ordinances, the appointment of professors and other important duties. Vacancies in their number are filled by the remaining members with the approval of the Visitor, whose functions are exercised by the Governor-General of Canada, ex-officio, as representative of the Crown, in which the supreme authority of the University is vested. The President of the Board of Governors is ex-officio Chancellor of the University.

The Principal is the academic head and chief administrative officer. He is appointed by the Governors and is ex-officio Vice-Chancellor of the University.

The Fellows are limited to forty-three in number; and are of several kinds:

(a) Ex-officio Fellows. These are the Deans of the several Faculties--the Faculty of Arts, the Faculty of Applied Science, the Faculty of Law, the Faculty of Medicine, and the Faculty of Comparative Medicine and Veterinary Science--and the Principal of McGill Normal School. Under some circumstances, acting-Deans, Vice-Deans or Registrars may be appointed as Fellows by the Board of Governors.

(b) Elective Fellows, serving for three years, elected by and representing the several Faculties as follows: Faculty of Law, one Fellow; Faculty of Medicine, two Fellows; Faculty of Arts, four Fellows; Faculty of Applied Science, two Fellows; Faculty of Comparative Medicine and Veterinary Science, one Fellow.

(c) One Representative Fellow from each of the affiliated Colleges,-- (two secular and four theological colleges not a part of the University.) These Fellows are appointed by their respective Colleges.

(d) Governor's Fellows, appointed from time to time by the Governors. Their number is limited to seven, and in practice the number is less, the present number being four.

(e) Nine Representative Fellows, being graduates of not less than three years' standing, viz., two in Law, two in Medicine, two in Arts, two in Applied Science and one in Comparative Medicine and Veterinary Science, elected for terms of three years by postal ballot in which all graduates are entitled to participate.

(f) Four Non-Resident Representative Fellows, elected for terms of three years by postal ballot, only those graduates who are resident in each of the four "non-resident" districts having the right to vote for the representative Fellow for that district. The four districts are: (1) New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland; (2) Province of Ontario; (3) Manitoba, British Columbia, and North-West Territories; (4) the United States.

Nominations for Representative Fellows or Non-Resident Representative Fellows may be made by ten or more graduates qualified to vote for such Fellows and if such nominations are filed with the Registrar before March 1 of the year in which the election is to take place, they are communicated to the voters when the voting papers are issued to them. The voting papers are sent out on or before March 15 to all graduates of the University, except that if a graduate has abstained from voting for three successive years voting papers will not be sent to him, unless he applies for them. The voting papers consist of a blank ballot and a set of instructions for voting based on the statutory regulations. The ballots must be properly filled up, signed and returned to the Registrar on or before April 20. The terms of office of all elected Fellows begin September 1, except in cases of election to fill vacancies. The terms are arranged to fall in such a way that as near as possible to one third of the elected Fellows retire each year