Pusey Doubts Passage Of School Aid Measure

President Pusey Wednesday saw little chance that Congress would pass a substantially unaltered Kennedy education bill and repeal the disclaimer affidavit provision of the National Defense Education Act during the current session.

Already, opposition to the education bill "is breaking out all over," Pusey said. "Congress may come to the summer and have done nothing."

The Kennedy plan is expected to call for approximately $1 billion per year in Federal grants, mostly to the states for public elementary and secondary schools. Also included are funds for college construction and student aid.

In a recent statement, Pusey praised Kennedy's proposals as "a reasonable and modest plan of attack on one of our most important national problems."

Expresses Mild Disappointment

The statement evinced mild disappointment that the Kennedy plan seemed to be oriented heavily toward secondary education. "In view of the lack of any recommended provision for extension of fellowship programs designed to increase and improve the supply of college and university teachers, it is possible to question whether this program is of sufficient magnitude," Pusey said.

Opposition to the Kennedy plan in Congress is reportedly based on fears that the grants to states, if used for teachers' salaries, might lead to Federal control of curriculum and methods of instruction.

Pusey said Wednesday, "I hope the Congress will take action on the Kennedy bill early this spring, and then move on to the NDEA and get rid of the affidavit."

President Kennedy, when he presented his education plan, said he would ask Congress to amend and expand the NDEA. The target of many universities has been section 1001 (f), which requires the taking of a loyalty oath and the filing of an affidavit disclaiming membership in or support of "any organization that believes in or teaches the overthrow of the United States Government by force or violence or by any illegal or unconstitutional methods."

The NDEA "is bound to come up," Pusey said, but it is uncertain just when it will be considered. Unfortunately, it may have to wait until the next session, he added. "The American Council on Education is supposed to say what the universities want, but we're all ready to testify," Pusey said.

University Turns Down Funds

The University refused the use of $250,000 in Federal loan funds in the fall of 1959. "We felt in the first year or two we could get along without the money," Pusey said. "We're a little worried now. We've sacrificed a bit of what we could loan. I hope no student has been deprived," he added.

Large state universities, such as Michigan and Minnesota, reportedly will try to raise the ceiling for any one institution from $250,000 to $400,000 or $500,000. "If they take the ceiling off, and keep the affidavit in, we will have to refuse $400,000," Pusey pointed out.

Pusey called the affidavit "the real stumbling block," but said that personally he would like to see repeal of the loyalty oath requirement as well.