Council Will Consider Poll on Memorial Hall

Students may enter the controversy over the future of Memorial Hall if the Student Council tonight approves a motion to poll undergraduate opinion on whether or not to tear down the 80-year old Civil War shrine.

Carl Sloan '58 said last night that he would introduce the motion because he felt that "alumni are trying to make the decision, and I think that the present student body should at least express their opinion."

Alumni pressure originally led to the ill-fated restorative efforts on the building which ended in the costly September fire. Because of high estimates for repairs, there has been discussion within the University over the possibility of replacing the structure with a more functional building.

"Appropriate Replacement?"

President Pusey indicated this feeling in his recent report to the Board of Overseers in which he stated that because of the fire "we may have to find an appropriate replacement" for Memorial Hall "which would still preserve its memorial quality."

Sloan said that the poll, if approved by the Council, would probably be taken this week, and that it would ask students directly whether they favored preserving the building, or tearing it down and building something else in its place.

He added that his personal opinion, "and what I think the students want, is a combination auditorium and theatre with office space." He noted that at present Memorial Hall is used only rarely, notably at examination periods.

Reallocation of Funds?

Student Council President Edward M. Abramson '57 commented last night that if the motion passed and "if the facts and student opinion corroborate the initial observations, the Council will endeavor to convince the Administration that a reallocation of these precious funds would better serve the interests of the student body."