Dean's Dilemma

Dean-elect Bender looked thoughtfully into the future at Milwaukee last week and squarely faced some of the problems confronting him when he takes office next month. One of the most pressing, and at the same time most difficult to solve, is that of maintaining the mature calibre of student that the veteran influx has brought to the Yard. Only 150 veterans are entering in the Summer and Fall terms and the vast flood of applicants that engulfed University Hall a year ago will soon dwindle to the lesser flow of former years in the absence of GI subsidies and with the pressure of a slumping national economy. Mr. Bender fears that this may thwart the aim of selecting students on the basis of character as well as scholarship.

Casting a worried eye toward "the instability of the world and of society today" the new dean stressed the need for leadership founded on "personal integrity and emotional stability" as well as mental brawn. Unfortunately the personal qualities have sometimes been overlooked in seeking academic ability. His hope for the future depends upon increased scholarship funds to expand the search for well-rounded personalities. Toward the same end but slightly more nebulous is the problem of developing "more sense of a community at Harvard." Not meaning by this the "rah-rah" spirit of some colleges, Bender rather feels the need for reviving that "sense of sharing a common life and common problems" that has been noticeably absent from the local scene in these reconstruction years. Obviously no easy task, the future dean admits doubts as to finding an easy solution, but his awareness of the problem offers hope for eventual improvement in student interrelations while at the same time preserving individualism.

The "unhealthy emphasis on grades" that Mr. Bender noted in his, "Report On the Veteran" he now feels is being given the needed treatment of a greater interest in extracurricular activities. Whether this is the trend in the right direction of getting the veterans out of their book-lined fox holes remains to be seen, but it indicates that the balanced individual Mr. Bender seeks may eventually emerge on the undergraduate scene. At any rate, the problems of the next few years have been clearly stated and Mr. Bender gives every indication of ability to cope with them successfully.