Small Walks Out of Annex Meeting; Petitions Circulate Backing Labenow

The open meeting to air the case of R. Deborah Labenow '51 ended yesterday minutes after it began, when Dean Small announced that a closed discussion with Student Government "would prove more fruitful" and walked out of the room.

The council later met in secret with President Jordan and Dean Small for three and a half hours. It then issued a statement that "no individual student rights have been violated" in Radcliffe's order that Miss Labenow quit her job as Radcliffe Bureau Chief for the CRIMSON.

Miss Labenow, CRIMSON editors, and the Boston press were present at the open council meeting yesterday afternoon. None of them were allowed at the secret session last night. Council members refused to disclose what went on at the meeting.

At 11 p.m., several council members retired to Cabot Hall and said they were preparing a release for the CRIMSON. At 11:45 p.m., the girl on bells said, Dean Small phoned Cabot Hall and talked to council Vice-President Cynthia Williams '51.

"Rights Not Violated"

Three minutes later Miss Williams issued the following statement on Student Government stationery, printed in its entirety:

"It is tse opinion of Radcliffe Student Council, after having reviewed the facts with the Radcliffe Administration, that no individual student rights have been violated."

The council meeting was originally called as an open session at 4 p.m. yesterday in Moors Hall. About 30 students were present to hear Dean Small air the problem with the council. She announced the closed meeting at that time.

Small "Clarifies Issues"

Stating that "we welcome an opportunity" to discuss the matter in public. Small said that she "would like simply to clarify a few issues which must by now be very confused in your minds."

Small referred to the report that Miss Labenow would be expelled from college if she continued to work on the CRIMSON. "In probations of any kind," she said, "if the person deliberately violates the probation, she will be asked to leave the college."

In her brief speech, Miss Small said, "We are not concerned with the suppression of the right of a girl to express her opinion for or against the college, as long as it is her opinion and not a misrepresentation of the facts.

"What we are concerned with is a misrepresentation of facts as far as ther are concerned with Radcliffe policy."

"Permission" to Report

One CRIMSON editor present at the meeting questioned Dean Small on her statement that "Reporting for the CRIMSON as well as the Boston newspapers is a permission granted by the College."

John J. Sack '51, the paper's new Radcliffe Bureau Chief, said this was a basic issue. "If Congress granted permission to have stories written about it, or if the White House did, this would be a violent denial of freedom of the press" he said.

Miss Small replied that "White House reporters are responsible to the White House."

"I'm afraid that isn't true," Sack said.

"Reporters are responsible to their papers," Small answered. "The papers are responsible to the White House, and if they weren't they wouldn't be reporters for long."

At this point, before any council members had asked questions Dean Small roso and said, "I think that the (closed) discussion with the Student Council will prove more fruitful." She left the room.

Most Student Council members were surprised at Miss Small's sudden withdrawal. President Betty K. Heaton '51 said, "We don't know why she did it."

"Untrue Reports"

On the matter of expulsion, a member of the CRIMSON then charged that Dean Small and Publicity Director Joan Projansky '49 had given untrue reports to the newspapers. He read this excerpt from yesterday's New York Times: "A Radcliffe spokesman . . . added that Miss Labenow had not been threatened with expusion."

He also read the following statement, given to the CRIMSON yesterday by John Fenton, by-lined reporter for the Times:

"I called her (Miss Projansky) and asked her for a fill-in on the story. . . . And then, as we were winding up the conversation, she said, 'I'd like to make a correction to what appeared in today's papers.' She didn't say what papers.

"'Miss Labenow was not threatened with expulsion.' I didn't ask the question; she volunteered it."

Dean Small also stated that Miss Labenow had broken release dates, although, she said, "I don't have any examples with me." Miss Labenow quickly retorted, "This is not true. I have never broken a release date."

Andrew E. Norman '51, managing editor of the CRIMSON, stated that Miss Labenow had never broken a release for the CRIMSON and asked Dean Small to give an instance. "I have not dealt with the CRIMSON in any other year," Small said. "But she did break them."

After the meeting, Miss Projansky told the CRIMSON that "as long as I have been publicity director, Debby has never broken a release." Miss Projansky has been director since September