 That the Board of Trustees simultaneously pursued union with Jefferson College lends credence to the idea that the relationship with the Synod was of convenience and survival, rather than a strictly ideological move.All non-Presbyterian students were excused from classes on denominational teachings, which was probably the biggest exemption in the nation at a religious college.During this difficult period, marred by declining finances and difficulties in the transition to religious control, it was David Elliott, Samuel J. Wilson, and Brownson who kept the college afloat.