A.Y.C. OFFICIAL SAYS CONTROL OVER STUDENT ACTIVITIES IS INCREASING

Student thought and activities throughout the country are becoming increasingly controlled by university authorities and outside forces, Joseph Cadden, executive secretary of the American Youth Congress, said yesterday.

Cadden, who arrived here Tuesday for the National Conference for Democracy in Education, also stated that undergraduates in the rest of the country are not as interested in foreign affairs as students in the East, but considered domestic policies of more importance. "What concerns them is the rising cost of living, the proposed lowering of the student allotment of N.Y.A., the poll tax in the South, how to get a job after college, and problems such as these," he stated.

College Newspapers Controlled

Large state universities in the West and South are controlled to a surprising extent by politicians. Thus the students there feel the weight of administrative pressure more than do the eastern colleges. One place where the opinion of faculty bigwigs and the state is most conspicuous is in the college publication. "One of our panel discussions at the conference on Saturday will concern the college paper and the methods that are used to control its editor."

"One of the ways by which the freedom of the papers is being suppressed is through administrative use of the purse-strings. In colleges where the paper is supported by the University, authorities can cut off money if the paper does not express their views. Also, several papers have faculty advisors who must check everything through before it goes in."

Will Defend Free Education

The purpose of the conference, according to Cadden, is to investigate abridgement of student and academic freedom throughout the country, and to form a program in defense of free education. The Congress will also deal with subjects such as conscription, that affect the student directly and will suggest measures to alleviate their bad features.