Radcliffe Students Split Over Press Controversy

Radcliffe students yesterday condemned and condoned President Jordan's move to control news of Annex activities, as the recent action came under student surveillance for the first time.

Jordan's policy was stated late last week when the Radcliffe Administration told R. Deborah Labenow '51, former Radcliffe Bureau Chief of the CRIMSON, to withdraw from the paper after printing a story "not in the best interest of Radcliffe." Refusal to comply was made punishable by expulsion.

The Radcliffe Student Council will meet in Moors Hall Living Room at 4 p.m. this afternoon, at which time Dean Small will explain Radcliffe's position on Miss Labenow's removal.

The CRIMSON yesterday interviewed 25 students from four Annex dormitories, asking whether Radcliffe should punish a girl for writing an article that "might hurt the good name of the College."

One side of the controversy is reflected in the answer of a Briggs Hall resident: "Radcliffe has a certain prestige to uphold. If people are going to criticize they should do it through the Administration, not publicly for everyone to see."

This point of view had several supporters. They claimed that "attacking the college in which you are enrolled is unethical; it cannot benefit the student or the institution."

But most students agreed that "Radcliffe must realize it is no longer merely a girl's boarding school. As a part of the joint Harvard-Radcliffe community, it must accept the give and take, the criticism and praise of that community without trying to alter or color it."

"It is unfortunate," said one girl, "that the college cannot recognize the fact that there are two sides to every story." By imposing a censorship on news, she added, President Jordan has attempted to stifle one of the most vital functions of a newspaper.

"A reporter must have ethics," another student stated, but they must be self-determined. Censorship is a terrible thing, and it should not be imposed by any self-styled judge."

The majority of students considered Jordan's action "unfortunate." The action was bad, they claimed, and the subsequent publicity it has received "will do Radcliffe more harm than a dozen unfavorable news stories."

A group of Eliot Hall residents summed up their views this way: "Jordan has put his haed on the block."