'Cliffe's Administration Bans Parietal Measure

Radcliffe girls will not be able to sign out after 10 p.m., Dean of Residence Emily B. Lacey '49 announced yesterday.

The Board of Deans, meeting with President Jordan, killed a recent Student Council motion that an 11 p.m. deadline for sign outs be tested until Thanksgiving. Instead, the present 10 p.m. deadline will remain in effect.

"We believe it important, for reasons of rest and study, that the dormitories be quiet after 10 p.m., and that an extension of the sign out hour would make this impossible," Miss Lacey said in a statement to the Council. "Although the students who would be adversely affected by an extension and who have opposed it may possibly represent only a minority, we feel that their minority rights are important in this matter."

Students may, however, ask head residents and hall presidents for permission to sign out later when necessary. House Committee members can also give such permissions in some dorms.

"The Council feels entirely satisfied with the Administration's decision," Lois Dickson '54, Student Council president, said yesterday. "No further action will be taken on this matter by Council in the forseeable future."

"No One Will Know"

But Mary Ellen Reinert '54, Editor of the Radcliffe News, disagreed. She said, "We regret that the Administration was unwilling to permit even a trial period of the 11 p.m. sign out. Minority rights should be considered, but not allowed to overrule majority opinion.

"We feel that the girls in favor of the extension would have used it with responsibility, and it would not have disturbed those who were opposed. Worst of all, no one will ever know now just how good the plan would have been."

The campaign for late sign outs started last spring, spurred by a "Radcliffe News" poll which showed a majority of students in favor. A Council vote early this year defeated the suggestion. However, an all-College poll showed the students overwhelmingly in favor of a trial period for the 11 p.m. deadline, and Council decided to reconsider the motion. It was passed in a second vote, the decision subject to Administration approval.

At the beginning of October, Janet Titus '55 and Mary MacGregor '55 presented a petition to the Council with 232 signatures asking for a trial period for the extended parietals.