Council Joins Radcliffe in Study of Girls' Role in College Organizations

The Student Council will join with the Radcliffe Council in an investigation of the role of girls in Harvard extra-curricular organizations.

This decision was made at last night's Council meeting during a discussion of the Rules for Undergraduate Organizations which the Councils is now revising. Council Treasurer Roy M. Goodman '51 proposed the study as a means of clarifying future policy on the participation of the girls in Colleges groups.

Two problems related to girls in Harvard groups had already been presented at the meeting. 1) Rules now in effect prohibit all outside membership in recognized Harvard groups, so the request of the Harvard Biology Society for official recognition was turned down on the grounds that its constitution says it is open "to Harvard and Radcliffe students." 2) Dean Bender had requested the Council to take part in an investigation of a requested by the CRIMSON for permission to have more Radcliffe correspondents.

Council Committee

General counterparts of these two specific problems will come under the surveillance of the Harvard-Radcliffe council committee. The first is the participation of girls in the activities of an organization when they are not actually members (such as is the case with Radcliffe CRIMSON correspondents). The other is the special dispensation sometimes granted to departmental clubs, allowing them girl members.

After this action the reviser of the Council's "Rules," Frederic D. Houghteling '50, read a proposal advocating the prohibition of discriminatory membership clauses in undergraduate organizations.

He said the proposal was actually a plea for "honest labeling" of student groups. It would require that any organization which has discriminatory membership requirements in its constitutions must state that its purpose is to conduct activities which require such discrimination.

No Harm to Church Groups

"In this manner we will not harm any church groups, which have a perfect right to discriminate, but we shall bring the public wrath onto other groups that maintain bias provisions in their charters," Houghteling said. The proposal was tabled until next week.

The Council also decided to sponsor a poll of the undergraduates today to see how many want an outdoor ice rink on Soldiers Field, and how many would be willing to join an ice skating club to help support it. Robert J. Stern '50 said that an outside group might donate the necessary $2,000 for original construction of the rink during Christmas vacation, and the Athletic Association would maintain the structure.