Yale Deans See Need for Women To Raise College Academic Level

Yale College may soon follow Harvard's example and discard anti-female barriers of strictly male education if a proposal to admit women made by two deans at a Faculty meeting Wednesday is accepted by the College Executive Committee and the Corporation.

"The addition of women to the College would favorably influence the academic training of Yale," stated Dean of Admissions Arthur Howe, Jr. His proposal for the admission of women was seconded by William C. Devane, Deane of the College.

Howe suggested that the new "Colleges" now under construction would be suitable for women's dormitories. "If we do not act now," he argued, "we will not have another opportunity for quite a while."

While maintaining the need for keeping the discussion open on co-education, Yale's President A. Whitney Griswold warned that "in the light of our present obligations and needs, the possibility of putting such policy into practice is remote." The matter was referred to the Executive Committee of the University for "serious consideration."

Howe brought up three arguments to support his case. Women entering colleges in a minority have been getting higher grades than their male counter-parts. He also held that recently many possible Yale students have picked co-ed colleges instead.

The third reason for the change, he maintained, was that the lack of women has caused an "unhealthy academic situation" among the undergraduates. "The Yale community breaks up on weekends," he explained, "when many students go away for weekend fun."

Howe also advocated that other colleges with all-male undergraduate bodies should consider his plan, the cost of which he estimated at $20 million for Yale. He gave the "advancing position of women in society" as the need for the change.

Daily News Opposed

Although most of the undergraduates seemed to be in favor of bringing girls to New Haven, the Daily News, Yale's newspaper, came out against the change. Managing Editor Charles Abuza stated, "Yale is a sort of last bastion for males and we don't want to see it go." Robert Rossefsky, managing editor of the Yale Record, also opposed admitting women to the College, on similar grounds.