Harvard, Yale Debaters Split Two Contests in First Official Ivy Meet

The Harvard and Yale debating teams split decisions in meets held here and in New Haven last night. The negative side of each squad won the decision in the first official Ivy League debate between the two teams.

The topic was: Resolved, That the alumni should possess power to alter any major policy of a privately endowed college or university.

The Yale affirmative team, debating in the studios of WGBH-TV, where judges watched in a separate conference room, consisted of Alex Seith, James Blue, and James Miller. They contended that a university had three responsibilities to its students: to provide intellectual and vocational training, and to equip them for their future roles in society.

They maintained that an alumni group would be best suited to fulfill these aims in decisions of university policy because it would contain diversified opinions, as well as a general background of the particular school.

The Harvard negative team successfully defended their premise that if alumni were permitted to possess power to alter policies, the administration of a university would be seriously affected.

Robert M. O'Neil '56, James L. Kincaid '58, and Robert H. King '57 maintained that alumni were too conservative and did not have the knowledge necessary to make major policy changes. They also contended that no specific plan had been proposed which would effectively unite the opinions of alumni.

Judges of the contest here were Harold C. Martin, Director of General Education Ahf; Walter G. Mueller, Dean of the Boston University School of Theology; and Edward W. Weeks, Editor of The Atlantic.

At the same time the Harvard affirmative team lost its argument on the same topic 3 to 0 in New Haven. Members of this team were John B. Hermanson '58, Taylor J. Smith '56, and William C. Boyden '57.