Male-Only Rhodes Scholarships May Be Open to Women in '76

The Rhodes Scholarships, which have traditionally been restricted to men, will probably be open to women as of 1976, the American secretary for the Rhodes Scholarship Trust, said yesterday.

William J. Barber said that a bill "providing a mechanism for all educational charities to remove restrictions by sex" on the scholarships they give, recently passed a first reading in both Houses of Parliament and that the second and third readings are essentially a formality.

"Rhodes trustees have already indicated that they will take advantage of that mechanism" when the bill is finally passed and open up the Rhodes Scholarships to women, Barber said.

The scholarships are restricted to men according to the provisions of a legacy set in 1902 by Cecil B. Rhodes, the founder of the trust fund supporting the scholarships. The requirements for eligibility are incorporated into a statute of the British Parliament and any changes in those stipulations must be approved by an act of Parliament.

The New York Times reported Wednesday that the British government intends to implement the new legislation on December 29, so the Rhodes trustees will be unable to eliminate the sex limitations for applicants in 1975.

Barber said that for the Rhodes given out in 1975, scholarship committees will follow all past procedures with regard to a candidate's sex. "Women cannot legally be considered for a scholarship this year," he said.

In 1973 Harvard endorsed three women for the Rhodes, citing them as having "all the qualities required for a Rhodes Scholar, excepting only their sex." However, all three were removed from the competition by Rhodes' state committees because of their sex.

Lauren Zackman, assistant director of fellowships at the Office of Career Services and Off-Campus Learning, said yesterday that Harvard did not endorse any women for Rhodes scholarships last year and that this year no University endorsement will be required.