Council Tells Memorial Committee That SAC Is Best Possible Solution

A student activities center was unanimously recommended as a Harvard World War II memorial by the Council Extra-Curricular Activities Committee, in a report released yesterday by Thaxter Swan '45, committee chairman.

Basing its findings upon both appropriateness and need, the committee addressed its recommendations to the War Memorial Committee headed Senator Leverett Saltonstall '14, to all undergraduate organizations expected to be officially recognized next fall, as well as to Harvard Clubs, and University officials.

It is the Saltonstall committee which will finally determine the type of memorial to be sponsored.

Proposed Facilities

As envisaged by the Council committee, the center should include the following general facilities:

1. A theater, from 1,000 to 2,000 capacity, "with adequate, stage facilities and movie equipment."

2. "Various meeting rooms," of capacities from 50 to 250.

3. Conference rooms

4. Rehearsal rooms

5. Offices

6. "Common secretarial facilities including a full-time secretary, typewriters, mimeographs and telephones.

7. Storage space

8. "Special needs, such as broadcasting space, an art studio, workshops, etc."

An "Encouragement" to Students

"The Council feels," the report said, "that a student activities center will be more effective than any other of the proposed memorials in promoting cooperative and creative activity that undergraduates gain most in leadership, maturity, and skills in adjusting to a cooperative working group."

Last year, the Council made similar recommendation, emphasizing that "the learning process should be extended beyond the classroom and the library, into the field of creative activity."

This year's report went on to add that "it is felt that a student activities center would provide both the much-needed physical facilities, and an official encouragement--now lacking to some extent--to the formation and development of extra-curricular organizations."

Endorsement of the activities center was based on three main phases of the Council study:

1. A poll of students, to determine their views on the appropriateness of six dif- ferent proposals for a war memorial.

2. A poll of student organizations, to determine the actual need for a center.

3. A poll of the House committees, to reemphasize this need.

In all cases, sentiment was overwhelmingly in favor of the proposed activities center.

Overwhelming Support

Of the 2,500 students polled, 58 percent of whom were veterans, only 1.8 percent wanted a non-utilitarian memorial. Fifty and four tenths percent of the students favored a sudent activities center, as against 17.4 percent for the next alternative.

Forty-three organizations were polled, with 38 responses. Thirty-seven endorsed a student activities center as a memorial, while 33 indicated need for facilities to a varying degree.

The House committees of all seven Houses endorsed the center as a memorial, six of them unanimously. They felt the proposed center would "help the Houses immeasurably by relieving them of the need to provide meeting space for college organizations, thereby allowing the common rooms to be used entirely for House functions."

In addition to the center, the ballots given to students listed proposals for scholarships (receiving a 17.4 percent vote), hockey rink and auditorium (16.9 percent), music center (3.3 percent), new infirmary (2 percent), music center (3.3 percent), new infirmary (2 percent), monument statue, plaque, etc. (1.8 percent), as well as space for write-in suggestions, which provided the remainder of the votes