Von Stade's Statement Dooms Future Smokers

Dean von Stade put an end to the traditional Freshman Smoker yesterday. In a prepared statement, the Freshman Dean said "the Smoker has become a menance to the well-being of Harvard, and that it must therefore be discontinued."

This decision was not expected to come from an Administration official, for all year both the Union Committee and the Student Council had been conducting surveys and making recommendations on their own, apparently with the Dean's approval. Last week, the Union Committee voted to postpone any final decision on the Smoker until the Class of 1960 could consider its merits.

But von Stade said he could "see no merit in this idea, since it would be asking a Freshman Class to pass judgement upon something it knew nothing about."

He added that "despite serious efforts on the part of past Committees, the Smoker has become an affair unworthy of the dignity and traditions of Harvard; furthermore, it has perennially proved to be actually dangerous to a few Freshmen, and potentially so to many more."

The traditional beer-slinging affair had come in for heavy criticism all year from members of the Union Committee, led by Chairman Mark Earle. In addition, the Student Council had appointed a committee to report on the Smoker next fall.

There was no indication yesterday that a similar, more "toned-down" function would be substituted for the Smoker. Most anti-Smoker sentiment had been for enlarging the scope of entry-parties, rather than for another all-Class function.