COMPULSORY NEWS: PRO

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

Next week, the question of whether the Radcliffe News will continue to exist comes before the students of Radcliffe, and it is a question of, not merely "compulsory subscription," but of the News' existence. It is my hope that the outcome of this vote will be a favorable one, that is, that the News will continue on its present financial basis.

Many of the arguments in favor of the News are concrete ones: it provides experience in all phases of newspaper work, and so forth. However, there are more abstract reasons why Radcliffe should retain a voice in the college community. The News is the only paper which considers Radcliffe's views. Of course, Radcliffe girls are proud of their individuality and would rebel at the thought of having a common point of view, but certainly no Harvard paper can approximate one as closely as a paper by and for Radcliffe girls exclusively can.

More importantly, the News is a symbol of Radcliffe independence. Such bourgeois idealism is usually scorned in our liberal environment, but I am confident that if Radcliffe voters realize that the News is one of our few possessions which has not been swallowed up by the large and powerful institution at Harvard, they will realize that it is, indeed, a symbol. We are, after all, an independent institution, and Radcliffe girls on the whole are proud of this fact. Although it is often difficult to maintain the unity of a group of individuals, it is certainly spineless to give in without a fight. The coming vote is an opportunity for Radcliffe girls to show that they do have an interest in their college. I an sure that, despite the facade of apathy, they do have this interest, and will show it by voting to retain the Radcliffe News, their paper. Maryalice McArdle '52