President Hunt Proposes Brooks House Initiate Social Service Program in India

A plan for Phillips Brooks House to initiate a social service program in India will be proposed by PBH President Douglas W. Hunt '55 at the House's next cabinet meeting.

Hunt said last night that he is optimistic about the plan's chances of being approved.

The program will be sponsored jointly by PBH, the Delhi University in India, and World University Service, an international group whose aim is to create mutual understanding between institutions of learning throughout the world. And there is also a possibility that other student organizations here will join PBH in supporting the program, Hunt said.

Indian students will pay half of the estimated $1,000-a-year expenses, while money collected here and by WUS will pay the remainder of the cost.

Delhi Students for Field Work

The proposal in its present form calls for the sending of Delhi students into five rural villages for the four-fold purpose of 1) making a thorough survey of each town's social and economic needs, 2) teaching adults to read and write, 3) helping and supervising village construction work, and 4) loading community recreational activities.

PBH is also considering the possibility of the College's helping to support two additional Indian projects. The first of these is a plan for U.S. support for scholarships to Indian students doing vacation time social service work. The second is for Harvard aid in the establishment of a vocational training center for Indian students and rural village inhabitants.

Each of these plans, if put into effect, would require Harvard student groups and WUS to contribute jointly $1,000 annually. As in the Rural Village Project, Indian students would meet half of the expenses.

Hunt said last night that a special committee will be appointed to plan for the collection of the University's contribution to the program. The committee is expected to meet the expense primarily through a number of special programs, such as Indian films, speeches by India's delegates to the U.N., and performances by native dance groups. The Student Combined Charities Drive, according to Hunt, is not presently being considered as a source of funds.