Bender Manifesto on Riots Warns Students of Hazards

Recalling last year's rash of student disturbance in the Square before and after the Yale game and on the Brown weekend, Dean Bender yesterday reiterated the Administrative Board's stand on riots.

The 1950 hoopla resulted in more than a dozen arrest by Cambridge police, two expulsions, and abundant probation sentences for the students involved.

Dean Bender's statement follows:

I raise reluctantly the minatory decanel finger, but the Princeton game is almost upon us and this impels me to call the attention of new students, and those old students who are cursed with feeble memories, to the section in the booklet. Regulations for Students in Harvard College, which deals with public disturbances. Incidentally, although this little publication can not be described as exciting reading, it is short, and I suggest that every Harvard student would profit from a few quiet moments spent in thoughtful study of its contents.

The essence of the section on public disturbances is that the College disapproves of them. Strongly. Mere presence at such an occasion is cause for serious disciplinary action up to and including separation from the College, since if there were no students presents there would be no disturbance. Failure to move on when requested, or refusal to identify oneself, or giving a false name are regarded particularly seriously.

Common belief to the contrary not-withstanding, the Administrative Board is not the grim enemy of good clean fun. Nor does it believe that threats con produce responsible student behavior. Nevertheless, it has a responsibility to point out to student the fact that mass public disturbances in the Square are no longer tolerable. They belong in the age of the flying wedge, John the Orangeman and Bloody Monday, not of the trackless trolley. Expressions of innocent, boyish joie de vivre though they may be, they are a menace to life, limb and property, both of the public and of Harvard students. The Board has a further duty to point out to students the risks they run if they Participate. Even if nobody gets killed, some students are likely to depart from Cambridge immediately afterwards at the request of the Dean. And nice little riots have a habit of growing into nasty big riots.

On previous regrettable occasions a number of students had apparently just emerged from the subway when they were tapped by the Law. I suggest that in future if any student do emerge from the subway to find a riot going, on he would be wise to go right back down again and come up some other place.

If, as I fondly hope, the Varsity crushes Princeton, there will be clear cause for the ringing of bells and the lighting of beacon fires. But this will be Saturday night, not Friday, and it should be done on Soldiers Field, not the Square.