Low Attendance Leads to Disbandment Of Political Study Group on Watergate

The Institute of Politics study group entitled, "In the Wake of Watergate" has been disbanded because of decreasing attendance at the seminar's meetings, leader Robert M. Shrum said yesterday.

"We felt that the guests we were having address the group should not have to spend all the time and travail involved in coming up from Washington for so few people," he said.

Shrum said that attendance was down to seven at the last meeting out of an enrollment of about 30.

Shrum, former special assistant and chief speechwriter for Sen. George S. McGovern (D-S.D.), and Alan L. Otten, on leave from his position as Washington Bureau Chief for The Wall Street Journal, were co-leaders of the study group.

Asked if low attendance reflected a lack of student interest in Watergate, Shrum said he was not sure what reasons were behind the lack of participation. He said that another study group Otten and he were leading dealing with the 1974 elections and high student interest and a steady attendance.

Dan Rather, CBS News White House correspondent, and Lee Huebner, former speechwriter for President Nixon, were the only guests of the Watergate group who drew many students, Shrum said.

Michael P. Leahy '77, a participant in the "Wake of Watergate" group, said yesterday he was "disappointed" that the group was disbanded. "I don't think the low attendance was so much a reflection of a lack of interest in Watergate as a result of the amount of work students had, "he said.