City College of New York - Microcosm Yearbook (New York, NY)

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 iwleclcd’’ by an overwhelming count in tin straw vote. Aid Spain ” booths were seen in tin- alcoves all term long. Both undergraduates and faculty members joined in an effort to contribute money and medical supplies to the legitimate Spanish government. fac- ulty committee to aid Spain was formed, under the chairmanship of Mr. Mumford and Professor Over- street. Several student- left tin- College to join the -truggle against Fascism: Ben ladder and Kugene Bron-loin, two alumni, lost their lives in battle. Peace Week was celebrated from Xovcmlier 16 until No- vember 20. College politics were marked by internal dissension in the Student Council. President Herbert Hohinson, in an effort to counteract the laxness and indifference of many Council members, led a drive toward a thor- ough housecleaning”: the chief victim of the purge was vice-president l.ouis Burnham, who was removed from office for non-attendance. Simon Slavin was ap- pointed to tile post. I h«- House Plan celebrated its second birthday, amidst messages of congratulation from Deans Cott- seball, Rlapper, and Turner, Professor Dickson, and the Student Council. Men of ’.'18 who had been among the charter members were observed to bear themselves w ith unaccustomed pride over the success of their twin brother, and their ability to make their stay at the College more than an interval between subway rides in tin- morning and at night. The celebration was capped by a gala Carnival in the Kxercising Hall (gym to you!), featuring several booths, dart games, magicians, fortune-tellers, ami a marionette show. Miss Hazel Horowitz of the Commerce Outer was crowned Queen by Russell Paterson, prominent mag- azine illustrator. The legality of the College chapter of the ASl was left undetermined, when at one of the stormiest ses- sions in years, the Board of Higher education, by a lie vote, defeated the McGoldrick resolution. Mr. John T. Flynn, a Board member, staled, “The old rule of suppression, which has ruled the City Colleges for many years, has been supported. . . . This is a com- plete victory for President Robinson.” The elections for the coming Spring term saw a leni|K rary diminution of the supremacy of the Student I nion party; the two important positions of president and secretary went to Victor xelroad and Jack Lon- don of the Progressive Student party, while vraham Soltes of the Student I nionisls was returned to the position of vice-president. Vnd suddenly, as they al- ways do, exams descended upon us. In February, 1637 we were lieginuing to anticipate graduation, with one-half of the class lieing lower seniors and the other, upper juniors. The new class council, which showed astonishing signs of activity, ran, in the accustomed order, Bernard Rolhenberg, Joseph Sol-ky, and illiam McDonald. class paper, the Jester, made its appearance, the first since the days of the freshman Recorder. not her set of reso- lutions favoring the passage of the merican Youth Act and endorsing the pilgrimage to the national capi- tal on W ashington's birthday were passed. It actively sup|M»rted the anti-war demonstration in pril, and w hen the time for Charter Day came around, the coun- cil vociferously condemned the u-e of a military color

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Tilt ( lass Council approved the majority report of the Mumni, ami passed a resolution urging '38 men to join the Sl . Once more the Spring informal yielded a magnificent profit when a fifty cent balance wa discovered by the ferreting Student Council auditors. The Student I nion parly swept elections for the fall term, when all its candidates but one gained office. Herbert Kohinson. Louis Burnham, and vra- ham S«dle became president, ice-president, and sec- retary of the Student Council. The class voted a straight SI ticket electing Jack Besansky, Lewis Zuckerman, and Joe Brody to do our worrying for us. For the first time in several years, Jingo Day passed peacefully. With tin- permission of the Faculty an orderly counter-demonstration was held on Convent vonue and later in the Croat Hall, where Professor Morris B. Cohen spoke on the history of the anti- ROTC movement at City College. In refuting the arguments of the proponents of military training, Professor Cohen pointed out that if it were educa- tional, it probably would be taught by educators and alized when, on the night of December 12, members of the class and their best dates danced and dined in the French, Colonial, ami Arabian rooms of the Hotel Park Central. Robert Burke, who had been expelled from Columbia the previous spring for having been a leader in an anti-Nazi meeting there, was forbidden to speak here by Dean Turner. The troubles of other colleges must not 1r- made the troubles of City Col- lege, said the Dean, in explaining his decision. Not long after, the Student Council launched another of- fensive for the removal of Dr. Robinson, lie was labelled as one of the most dangerous enemies of academic freedom in the I nited Stales. On October 27. delegates of the nation's four polit- ical parlies addressed the student body at a sympo- sium in the ( real Hall. In a poll conducted by the Carn nis. the student body voted its opposition to the military science courses by a vote of fifteen hundred fifty-one to five hundred sixty-seven, and its support of the American Youth Act. President Roosevelt was

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guard at the exercises, and voted a boycott. 11 the student' who had Item wrangling over Presi- dent Roosevelt’s late lamented plan to reform the courts, filled room 306 to overflowing, when Professor Cohen spoke on the subject, and declarer! himself to he heartily in favor of the plan. I)r. Frederick IS. Robinson completed a decade of serviar as president of the College in the spring of 1937. Rut the spirit of good will that might have liecn expected was markedly absent, for an o|ien letter in the Campus attacked his alleged inspiration of the Board’s rule against the Oxford Oath at the anti-war meeting, slating that it is presumptuous for President Robinson in ruling on the Oxford Pledge to declare that it is unconstitutional.” On pril 22, four thousand students crowded into the («real Hall to hear student and guest speakers, chief among whom was Congressman Vito Marcan- lonio. “Insipid pacifism makes for wars; militant pacifism makes for | eacc,'’ shouted the fiery little legislator, while the assemblage roared approval of his sentiments. Mr. Sohappe . smilingly avowing his delight at being able once more to address a Cilv Col- lege |icace demonstration, emphasized the importance of collective security in prolonging |ieace.” s it had been done previously, the Student Council urged a boycott of the Charter Day exercises, because of the ROTC color-guard. Its efforts met with success when only one hundred spectators attended the ceremony. Throughout the term the Campus conducted a drive for the ouster of Dr. rthur Frank Payne, director of the Personnel Bureau. Fach issue of the pa|M-r carried an amusing dig at Dr. Payne, who had written for popular psychology magazines and hail used another psychologist’s material without giving the credit duo him. Dr. Payne issued a statement answering the charges of the Psychologists league in which he pro- tested that the Teacher’s I nion, the league, and com- munists were united in a Triple lliance” against him. 'Ihe Board of Higher Education removed Dr. Payne from his office and did not reappoint him in any capacity. Dr. Paul Klappcr, Dean of the School of Education, was promoted to the presidency of the new Queens College. The Student I nion party related it- sweeping |n r- formances of other terms. In the student council. Joseph Janovsky and Jack London, both of the ’.‘18 class, were elected respectively president and vice- president; Stanley Silverberg liecamc secretary. Our new class council was Hobart Rosenberg, president: Irving Nnderman, vice-president; Joe Solsky, secre- tary. The House Plan received its hardest blow and its greatest boost. Mr. Mortimer Karpp, founder and di- rector, resigned his | osition; to his place was ap- pointed James S. Peace, who had previously gained recognition for his work in developing intramural activities at the College. In June, the House Plan as- sumed its place as a permanent organization at the College, when a donation by the family of the late Edward M. Shepard made possible the purchase of the building as its properly. September of 1937 saw the ’38 class in its Senior year at the College. The Prom Committee, under the chairmanship of Jim- Sotsky, had contracted for the affair with the French Casino. But when that den of frivolity closed its doors, the locale was shifted to the Essex House, where on the night of December 11, more than one hundred and fifty couples swayed and dipped to the music of Eric Correa and his Hotel St. Moritz orchestra. Freshman caps reappeared as thi Seniors adopted them for their own. Bernard Rothenberg, who had charged the class council with mismanagement of the Prom was censured by the Student Council for misrepresenting and ham|M-ring the aetivilies of the class of 19.38, but all friction was forgotten when the class realized it was promoting a successful affair. During the prev ious term the Campus had twice car- 26