Burke and Watson Issue Statement On Rules; Abolition Petition Grows

Associate Dean Watson and Edward F. Burke '50, president of the Student Council last night issued a statement to "correct the mistaken impressions ... circulating throughout the College" on the proposed rules relating to extra-curricular activities.

The Watson-Burke statement traces the history of the formation of regulations for undergraduate groups at the College.

"In order to correct the mistaken impressions which have been circulating throughout the College during the past few days, the following statement is hereby issued:

"Previous to 1948 the Dean's Office had supervised student organization on a body of written and unwritten precedent. In the spring of that year a burst of indignation followed the banning from recognition of an undergraduate magazine, The New Student, by the Deans Office on the grounds that it violated certain of these principles. This event was then felt to be unjust by a considerable portion of the College community because the Dean's Office could not point to any specific written authority for its action.

Get Them on Paper

"Therefore, in order to make clear exactly what the University policy was, and so protect the student organizations from arbitrary, unjust, and inconsistent controls, and from ad hoc decisions, Dean Watson undertook to state this hitherto unwritten policy in explicit and definite form. Dean Watson issued a report to the Council for consideration and criticism. Last year, a Council sub-committee revised these rules. Just recently, copies of this tentative draft were issued by that sub-committee to the recognized undergraduate organizations.

"Both Dean Watson and the Council realized at the time of issuance and realize now that there are many sections of this tentative draft which must be corrected or eliminated entirely. The draft was merely presented as a basis of discussion with the various organizations. It is not now and had never been treated as in any way final, and has never been presented to either the Faculty Committee or to the Council.

"The written rules as such are intended in no way to be a departure from the previous policy of the College and are merely an attempt to protect the rights of the students.

"Three days of hearings on the rules have been conducted, and all criticisms and alternate suggestions have been fully noted. A Council sub-committee is now trying to revise the rules in accordance with these suggestions. The committee welcomes any further suggestions which may be submitted to William Mulholland, Jr. '50 in Adams F-2.

"When the necessary corrections have been made, the revised draft will once more be submitted to the student organizations for further comments. Nothing will be passed without careful consideration of the opinions of all organizations.

"In conclusion, neither Dean Watson nor the Council is attempting to violate the rights of student organizations. They will take every precaution to insure that the rights of all organizations will be carefully respected.