Fraternities at Columbia Must End Bans in '60

Columbia officials have set 1960 as the final date for college organizations to drop provisos concerning race, color, or religion. Unless such organizations delete such bans, the University will withdraw recognition on October 1, 1960.

The decision was made by the Committee or Student Organizations, a combined student-faculty group. Last week, a referendum of Columbia students decided on the move.

As early as November, 1950, Columbia began its efforts to eliminate discriminatory practices in fraternities. At that time, a student board, after a referendum was held, recommended a 1956 deadline for groups to life their bans.

Of 1,551 students voting, 1,011 asked that a deadline be set. Four chapters of national fraternities whose constitutions contain discriminatory clauses remain at Columbia. Their total membership is 180 students.

The Columbia resolution opposes a decision made last year by the National Interfraternity Conference, declaring that "any attempt to restrict or regulate" the right of a college fraternity to choose its own members was "an inadvisable interference with the fundamental right of free association guaranteed by the United States Constitution."

Withdraw Recognition

The Columbia resolution threatened to withdraw recognition from any group which, by 1960, is still "compelled by its constitution, rituals, or government to deny membership to any person because of his race, color, or religion."

An accompanying statement of the committee said Columbia sought to protect the freedom of the student "to select friends and associates according to personal interests and tastes "against" interference by persons or groups outside the university."

The four Columbia fraternities whose constitutions still retain discriminatory clauses are Sigma Nu, Sigma Chi, Zeta Beta Tau, and Alpha Sigma Phi.

Prohibition of bans has already been put in force at Amherst, the University of Connecticut, and Dartmouth College. One is proposed at the University of Michigan. At Boston University, a fraternity was recently suspended from its national organization for admitting a negro student.