Bender's Report Shows Advising, Council Snags

"Advising in the proper responsibility of the Faculty," Dean Bender said in his Annual Report on the College released yesterday.

The report, covering the academic year 1947-1948, also discloses that the greatest amount of scholarship aid in College history went to students last year, and holds that the danger of minority "pressure" on the Student Council "is increased by the new (Council) constitution, which makes the Council an almost entirely elected body."

Specialized advisory groups, such as the Dean's Office and the Office of Tests Bender says, must not take over all the problems of advising. To abandon the responsibility of the Faculty to advise "would seriously weaken Harvard education," he says, adding that a special committee is studying the whole problem.

After praising the work of the Student Council during the year, Bender enumerates certain handicaps "which must be overcome." These include: "complete turnover in membership each year so that mistakes resulting from inexperience are likely to be repeated"; "difficulty in locating the most competent men and persuading them to serve on its committees"; and the "real danger that on controversial issues the Council will succumb to the pressure of vociferous, organized minority groups and fail to give the issues informed and balanced consideration."

Indifference to Council

The new constitution increases this danger, Bender says. He adds that "the Council suffers at present from a considerable degree of indifference, misunderstanding or even open hostility from the student body, so that it does not command all the respect it should have. The policy of the CRIMSON has not been helpful in this respect."

Undergraduates received $371,875.65 in scholarship aid during 1947-48, the report states. The largest amount furnished in any pre-war year was $333,675.63 in 1940-41.

National Scholarship stipends have been increased this year by "the amount equal to the sum of the increases in tuition, room, and board," Bender reported. Regular scholarship stipends, however, will rise to meet the recent tuition increase only, and cannot cover the additional living costs. Thus National Scholars are the only students unaffected by the recent cost hike.

These stipend adjustments can be covered by surplus funds only for another year or two, Bender says. "What may happen in future years, however, particularly if there are further increases in College charges as enrollment drops ...gives cause for grave concern..." The number of scholarships must not go down, the report says, if "the College is to have a democratic national student body." But when surpluses evaporate, the number of scholarships or the size of grants will have to drop, Bender goes on, unless a new solution is found