Professionalism in Debates

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

From your editorial April 13th on the Debate Council, you stand convicted with the University of the same sin. You justify your plea for Debate Council support by stating that a winning debate team is a "worthwhile investment," whereas a losing team detracts from Harvard prestige. You also imply tacit acceptance of the theory that competing organizations in general should be able to pay their own way by gate receipts.

Both these conceptions, which seem to dominate the University setup, make Harvard teams the stepchild of the surplus gate of the football team mated with the publicity office. Harvard teams are thus the products of an almost unparalleled professionalism. Is this the spot Dean Buck designated when he said, "Athletics have a place at Harvard?" Or should athletics and competition, win, lose or draw, be considered an important enough branch of the educational program of the University to receive a direct allocation? William S. Wasserman, Jr. '48