Faculty Group Planning Chapter of U. S. Federation of Teachers

To associate themselves with the labor movement in the educational field, a group of 30 to 35 younger members of the Economics, Government, Sociology, and Philosophy Departments are planning to establish a local Harvard chapter of the American Federation of Teachers which is directly connected with the American Federation of Labor.

The Federation of Teachers is a nation-wide organization whose belief is "in democracy, and in the schools as the chief agency of democracy." The preamble of its constitution states that, "we believe that the schools have failed of their fullest attainment because of undemocratic administration. . . that servility breeds servility, and that if the schools are to produce free, unafraid men, American citizens of the highest type, the teachers must live and work in an atmosphere of freedom and self-respect. . . .

This group of faculty men from the University met yesterday afternoon to discuss the possibility of establishing a local chapter of the Federation. The organization is poorly represented in Massachusetts although strong in the other states of the Union, there being chapters in almost every main college, including Yale.

In the words of a spokesman of the group, 'the Federation is a medium through which members may legally and powerfully fight reactionary and unprograssive movements in the educational field, such as that to cut appropriations for educational purposes and eliminate courses such as music."

No officers have been chosen as yet to represent the group, but definite plans are being made to set up the local chapter. It is understood that this group will not interfere with the Departmental organization at Harvard, and is being established by liberals on the faculty to make their contact with the educational labor movement more intimate.