The Waste of Haste

Even when it is acting in perfectly good faith, the Student Council's method of operation often provokes criticism of its motives. There may be merit in the Council's arguments against Harvard's continued participation in the National Student Association. But the Council's hasty disposal of this important issue last Monday and its subsequent refusal to entertain further discussion of the question at next Monday's meeting would indicate a blatant disregard for a large segment of student opinion.

A Student Council survey conducted last spring revealed that a majority of the students polled favored Harvard's remaining in N.S.A. Though the results of this poll are far from conclusive, they constitute the only definite indication of student opinion on N.S.A. Yet the Council--which considers itself a representative of student feeling--saw fit to ignore this poll entirely.

Withdrawal from N.S.A.--the only official voice of American students--is a proposition that deserves lengthy, complete study. Instead, action was taken hastily and without advance notice.

The Council's case against the N.S.A. may be a valid one; to date, however, the current Council has shown no willingness to hear an adequate presentation of both sides of the issue. Until such a discussion is held and all of N.S.A.'s defenders are given a chance to speak, Harvard's status in N.S.A. should not be considered finally settled, despite the Student Council Executive Committee's statement to the contrary.