Bender Explains Ruling To Curb Investigations

Dean Bender yesterday clarified the status of a new ruling which would force all student investigation of the University's administrative department to clear through his office.

Opposition to the move crystallized yesterday after at least two members of the Student Council threatened to resign. The regulation would destray the Council's purpose as a free investigation group representing the student body, they felt.

A hasty conference with Council President William D. Weeks '49 resulted in Bender's calling a special meeting with the Council and vice-President Reynolds for tomorrow.

The disputed regulation would mean screening by the Deans' Office of all requests for interviews with Reynolds or the offices under his control. These "housekeeping" offices include the bursar's, dining halls, buildings and grounds, and the University police.

Bender Open to Suggestion

Bender said that the new ruling was by no means final. He admitted that the step might be too severe for the problems it was supposed to solve, and added that he was willing to accept any better solution offered by the Council or other student organizations.

Chief among these problems is the increasing demand on Reynolds to make many quick decisions and statements on student problems. "But decisions affecting undergraduates are entirely the responsibility of the Deans' Office," Bender said.

Bender and Reynolds have agreed that it is not sound to have business officers setting unilateral and final answers to student activities' problems.

Consultation Prevents Harm

"Such answers in the past have sometimes been out of line with specific policies of the Deans' Office. But unless the Deans' Office is consulted before the answers are made public, the resultant student - administration misunderstanding is hard to resolve," Bender said.

Reynolds also explained that the great increase in student investigations since the war has forced his department to devote more and more time to interviews with such groups, at the expense of its real job of University administration.