Harvard Investigations Give Surprise To Other Northeast Student Councils

Last night following the reading of the Harvard delegate's report of the first conference of Northeastern College Student Councils at Cornell a week ago, the Student Council submitted a tentative recommendantion that a University representative attend the proposed second meeting at Dartmouth next year.

At Cornell delegates were present from Colgate, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Pennsylvannia, Penn State, Princeton, Syracuse. Yale was invited but sent no delegate as there is no student Council now at Yale. Francis Keppel '38 represented Harvard.

Delegates Report

The conference had been called to discuss the structure of the various councils represented, to discuss the nature and extent of the authority of these councils, and their relations with campus organizations, such as fraternities, or activities, such as managing, or with the Faculty through the administrative offices.

Several colleges reported that they were able to make the final decision in the dismissal of a student for misbehavior. Harvard, however, seemed to be the only one college that interested itself in the techniques of education. Certainly it is the only one that turns out several reports a year on these problems. Both Princeton and Columbia requested copies of some of the Harvard Council reports, Columbia being particularly interested in these relative to the tutorial system.

Other Council Activities

Other universities are making definite attempts to prepare the undergraduates for the democratic form of government when they graduate.

Syracuse, for example, has recently set up an entire national government, with 103 representatives, presidents, cabinet officers, civil service officers, and wards in the town of Syracuse where the students live.

The delegates favored an annual conferences for reasons which included the creation of a closer bond between the colleges.

Harvard At The Polis

Keppel reported the Conference disclosed that at Harvard more students turn out for class elections than at many of the other institutions. At Cornell, 550 out of a student body of 3000 is termed "pretty good". In the Harvard Senior elections alone 573 ballots were cast last year.

Acting as individuals, and not representing their councils formally, the delegates decided nearly unanimously not to bring back recommendations to join the National Student Federation of America.