Colleges Fight Bill Limiting Students from Outside State

Proposals to tax any Massachusetts college with less than 65 percent local enrollment have met with sharp setbacks during the last two days, under a storm of criticism from leading educators. The bill, designed to force acceptance of a larger proportion of Massachusetts veterans in local colleges, is now under advisement by the State tax committee.

Speaking for the University at hearings Wednesday, Edward Reynolds, administrative vice-president, denied the fact that local students were not getting a fair chance to attend college: "The bill implies that privately-supported colleges are failing the youth of Massachusetts," be said. "This is just not so. There are more local students at Harvard than for many years, probably more than ever before."

He further opposed the legislation on the grounds that wide representation has always been one of the great assets of the College, and that limitation would cripple all colleges financially and undermine the present endowments and gifts "which make education possible on a broad, democratic basis."

Would Stop Tax Exemption

The proposed bill would make any school or college enrolling more than 35 percent of the student body from outside the state no longer eligible for tax exemption. Representative Peter J. Jordan of Revere, co-sponsor of the bill, said that this was "purely a temporary measure, designed to protect our own boys during the post-war crisis. There have been so many complaints from families of boys and girls unable to obtain a higher education in their own state that we felt legislation was justified."

Karl T. Compton, president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, pointed out in reply that "most students are former G.I.'s to whom the colleges have obligations," and that if the law were passed, it would be impossible for M.I.T. to operate.

Although Representative Louis Lobel, author of the bill, was unavailable for comment yesterday, co-sponsor Jordan said that the case presented by the educators was being taken under consideration and that the results would be known soon.