Council Divided on Varsity Club; Silveira Is President

Three weeks of debate and investigation by the Student Council on the projected Varsity Club ended with that body splitting three ways on the issue last night. In a straw vote earlier during the meeting, the Council had voted eight to five (one abstention) against building a new club.

The majority sentiment within the Council was against a new Varsity Club, but the members could not agree on the strength of working of a protest.

A composite of the opinions expressed on the Varsity Club by the 14 councilmen present will be sent on to University officials this week. These views were:

1) The Corporation should reverse its decision to build a new Varsity Club on the grounds that such a project would be in continuing conflict with the Houses, around which college life in the future must be centered. This motion was proposed by James F. Hornig '50 and Herbert P. Gleason '50. Gleason is not a Council member but served on the Council's committee to investigate the background of the bequest of Allston Burr '39, from which the $250,000 needed to build the Varsity Club will be drawn. Four Council members supported this plan in the final vote.

2) On the grounds that the Corporation is under a "definite moral obligation" toward Burr to build a new club and that a new varsity club would give a boost to the "now poor morale" of athletic teams, Henry M. Silveira '51 and John T. Coan '50 recommended that the Council approve the College's present plans. Five members backed this proposal.

3) A motion by D. Broward Craig '50 stating that "a new Varsity Club is a luxury not warranted at this time in the face of more pressing needs" received five votes.

Richard T. Button '50 had suggested that the Burr funds be directed toward some other athletic need since the Varsity Club did not seem to pressing.

The Coan-Silveira proposal maintained that since in fact, many undergraduate interests were focused beyond the Houses and on inter-collegiate levels, it was unrealistic to say that an improved Varsity Club would deter from the present success or lack of it of the House system.

Gleason and Horning retorted that the Varsity Club would be successful only to the extent that it defeated the House program.

Crimson Polls Students Today

The CRIMSON will poll undergraduates in the House and Union dining halls at lunchtime today to determine student opinion on the University proposal to build a new varsity club. There will be a place on the poll for students to express their reasons for supporting or opposing the project. Results of the survey will be announced in the CRIMSON tomorrow morning.