Debate Council Insurrection Hits Present Administration

Charges that the executive committee of the Debate Council is guilty of "extra-legal" and "Improper" administration were leveled yesterday by a group of members in an open letter to the council.

Richard S. Stewart '51, writing as spokesman for a band of six men which claims the sympathy of over 20, outlined the "Improprieties" as: (1) unfair parceling out of debate assignments to members: (2) unfairly managed tryouts for debates important enough to have tryouts: (3) failure to obtain enough competent coaching; and (4) unconstitutionally trying to choose its successors.

The terms of office of the present officers end this term. Election of new officers takes place today.

Zurier Defends Administration

Council president Mclvin L. Zurier '50, when reached in New York last night, called the charges "Ill-founded" and said they were based on "poor sportsmanship."

The letter claims that desirable debate assignments, such as Ivy League debates, go to "a few members of the executive committee especially the president, his friends, and his roommates," while harder working members are given less desirable debates.

Zurier denied that debate assignments had been in any way unfair and said that the men though most likely to win were always chosen.

"Unfair Tryouts"

The tryouts for important debates were also unfair, the letter continues, because the president selected the judges and then competed in them himself. The letter charges furthermore that the president chose judges who knew him well.

As a manifestation of this tendency, the letter points to the resignation of Arthur W. Purcell '50 as vice-president Purcell said last night that the "main reason" for his resigning was that he thought that the judging of the tryouts for the Yale-Princeton debate last year was "incompetent, to say the least." He added that he thought the charges in the letter were "largely true."

Zurier stated, however, that the final judging in this tryout, which was also the Coolidge Prize debate, was done by men who were picked by the English Department in accordance with contest rules and who did a good job too. He said that judges selected for all tryouts are always of the utmost competency.

Law Student Has Coached

One man who has judged frequently is Gerard Mandelbaum 3L, who was an unpaid coach of the Debate Council. The letter charges that Mandelbaum spent very little time helping members prepare for debates and that Zurier had him judge tryouts because he was a personal friend.

Zurier said, however, that Mandelbaum had given generously of his time to help members perfect their debating skill and that he was asked to judge as a tried and trusted friend of the Debate Council Mandelbaum said last night that when he was coach he spent "eight to ten hours a week" helping debaters.

Finally the letter charged that the executive committee met and decided on a slate of officers for next year, and that this act was unconstitutional. Zurier said that the present officers did so as private members, as was their right, and that they neither could nor would force their decisions on the Council.