NSA Leader Hits Council 'Irrationality'

The Student Council acted "irrationally" and without consideration of the facts when it withdrew from the National Student Association, Richard P. Beck, administrative assistant to the NSA's international affairs vice-President, stated yesterday.

Beck accused Harvard's voting delegates of "lack of preparation and of good judgment" at the annual National Student Congress in the past few years. He also claimed that the Council has "misrepresented" several functions and services of the NSA, as well as the costs of membership. He thus criticized the stand taken by Andrew Warshaw '59, who felt that the resolutions of the congress were handled with a "slapdash method."

The annual cost of NSA membership runs about $150, rather than the $300 or more cited by one Student Council member. He described Harvard's practice of paying the expenses of NSA delegates as "the exception rather than the rule, contrary to the Student Council's assumption."

No Lack of Documentation

"Although Harvard has criticized a lack of documentation of resolutions, all resolutions are prepared from documents seen by all voting delegates," Beck commented.

"Harvard has been a leader in the past, and we would like the College to remain in the NSA. However, the decision is entirely up to the students," Beck stressed.

The Council referendum on NSA planned for late this week, is "the best way to discover how students really feel about membership." Beck pointed out that the 1956-57 and 1957-58 Student Councils showed enough interest in NSA to enter and place first and third, respectively, in the annual student-government project contest.