House Votes to Cut Money For Student Exchange Plans

The House of Representatives has drastically cut funds for the government's international student exchange program for the coming fiscal year. An additional House restriction on the program will allow only $1,500,000 to be used to support foreign students in America during 1955, whereas more than $7 million had been available for this purpose in the past year.

Captain Chester H. J. Keppler, Counsellor for foreign students, and yesterday that this cut would "probably affect several hundred foreign students now at the University on government aid."

The overall reduction in the exchange program was from $15 million to $9 million, which is $6 million below President Eisenhower's request and approximately the same amount below the program's current level of operations.

The combination of the cuts in the exchange program and the cut in student maintenance is expected to confine the use of the government's funds to supplementing the Fulbright student program to about half its present dollar level. The long-range effect of this reduction may be to jeopardize the entire Fulbright program, which annually sends numerous American students abroad.

Petition for Repeal

Arnold L. Schuchter '55, chairman of the International Students Committee, said he intends to draw up proposals for petitioning repeal of the House's action to Congress and to present the plan to the Student Council. Nationally, he added, the National Students Association is also trying to mobilize forces to appeal the reduction.

"Since the failure of the Student Council's own German exchange program can be attributed to an $11,000 cut of government funds, I'm sure they will be eager to work with our petition on this new cut," he said.

Latin American Cut

Officials expect that the reduction of the exchange funds will also eliminate programs which annually send students for a year of study in 18 Latin American Republics. It should also cut by more than one-third the number of foreign students who are now able to come to study in this country.