UAC's Plan Urges Masters To Appoint Cheerleaders

In an effort to improve the quality of cheerleading at Harvard, the Under-graduate Athletic Council has proposed that the Masters assume responsibility for appointing future cheerleaders.

If the proposal, which is presently under consideration by the masters, wins approval, it will be adopted on a provisional basis for next fall. Each master would be responsible for appointing one cheerleader and one alternate from his house, though he could presumably delegate his authority to the house committee or the tutors.

Under the system which has operated for the past few years, a competition was held each fall to determine the cheerleaders. But, according to Newton E. Hyslop, Jr. '57, a member of the UAC, perennially poor turnouts have resulted in a fairly low level of cheerleading recently.

The new proposal seeks to solve the recruitment problem and to make cheerleading the post of honor it once was. Originally the cheerleaders were all captains of spring or winter sports, and hence commanded a certain amount of prestige. At that time there was even a special cheering section set up to assist their efforts. But through the years, they gradually delegated their posts to other members of the teams, until finally the system degenerated into the present competition set-up.

The UAC hopes to restore some of its former honor to cheerleading by having the masters appoint outstanding juniors (not necessarily athletes) to the post in the spring of their junior year.