Atlanta Daily World

PHILADELPHIA--(ANP)--Dr. Charles H. Wesley, president of Wilberforce university, is the chief cause of the institution's losing its North Central association accreditation.

This charge was made by Bishop Reverdy C. Ransom, chairman of Wilberforce's board of trustees, here last week. The bishop is currently testifying before the federal court in the case of Bishop D. H. Sims.

He revealed that chief among the 20 "points of weakness" which the association criticized was its "having too many members of the same family on its teaching staff."

"The number of faculty members who are relatives of other faculty members appears to be excessive," the report said.

The faculty lists 24 related persons, 21 of which were brought in after Dr. Wesley ascended to the presidency in 1942.

Bishop Ransom pointed out that while some of the related persons were highly competent, others are unfit for their positions, which they could not have secured except for family relationship.

CALLS EXAMPLE BAD

"In the family appointments, president Wesley has set a bad example," the bishop said. "His first act after being made president in 1942 was the ousting of the organist and appointing his daughter who was so incompetent that he had to have Garcia play the organ.

"His daughter was sickly and had only a bachelor's degree and no college teaching experience. The other daughter, Charlotte Wesley, was represented to the trustee board as a Ph.D., the very person to head the music department. Dr. Wesley had her elected but there was so much comment on the election when it was found that Miss Wesley not only had no Ph.D., but not even a master's degree, that President Wesley granted this daughter a leave of absence."

He also disclosed that when a vacancy in the matronship of O'Neil Hall existed, Wesley secured the appointment of his mother to that post, despite the fact that the age limit was 70 years and many have been forced to retire at that age.

O'Neil Hall houses a large number of young girl students.

In addition, he charged that a check drawn from university funds each week for about $38 for the president's wife, or $166 a month.

There are no others in the Wesley family except a son-in-law, who as a young physician was connected with the hospital for a short time.

STIPULATES CLAIMS

"The fact is that Wesley in four years had more of his family on the pay roll than all the other presidents of Wilberforce during the past 50 years," Bishop Ransom asserted. "Also President Wesley is the only president who kept members of his family on the faculty who had only a bachelor's degree.
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Ransom Says
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Although his daughter, Louise, has taught 8 years, she does not have a master's degree yet.
Another point which the North Central association brought up was the hiring of too many "young and immature teachers" calling attention to the fact that some teachers are younger than some of the students. Nearly all of the complaints were laid to Wesley's administration.
As Bishop Ransom put it, "Dr. Wesley is the most incompetent administrator who was ever president of Wilberforce and I have known all the presidents from Bishop Payne to today. He is a good front man. I hope he will resign and get a job where he has only to make speeches.
"He is no administrator whatsoever. Wilberforce would have been far better off if it had never had him. The fact is, Wilberforce was accredited when Wesley came. It had the same board of trustees, the same bishop when accredited but under Wesley. Wilberforce's accreditation was lost."