Cheerleaders Hit Students' Apathy at Football Games

Levelling sharp criticism at student spirit, Charles H. Morin '43, head cheerleader, last night came forth in rebuttal against certain student opinion which lay blame for the weak Dartmouth game yelling directly at the feet of the megaphone men.

While contending that these opinions were not representative of the student body as a whole, Morin admitted that there might have been more cheers led, but said that the failure of the cheerleaders was due in great part to the apathy of the cheering sections. Saying that "we have to have good cheers, or none at all." Morin declared that in the second half of the Dartmouth game it was almost impossible to raise a decent cheer from the stands.

Cheer for Winning Team

Another cheerleader backed Morin on this point. William E. Drucker '43 said that "only when the stands feel the team is on the march will they cheer." Furthermore scattered calls for cheers can not be answered, since the rest of the stands are usually apathetic.

The five cheerleaders, lately reduced from seven are hampered by the conditions necessary for a formal cheer which can only be given when there is a time out or between quarters. It a formal cheer is given at any other time, Drucker said, "the stands are too busy watching the progress of the game to give a really good cheer."

More short cheers, on the order of the trumpet call fight cheer, are needed, according to Drucker, who emphasized the need for a neutral "fight, team, fight" cheer that can be used whether the team is being successful or not.

According to Morin, the most discouraging exhibition at last Saturday's game was given by the numerous students in the cheering sections who get up and left before "Fair Harvard" had been sung. Describing the mass exodus as a "damn shame" he said that it was a good index of the torpid condition of the school's spirit.