Page 6 - 1913 November - To Dragma

TO DRAGMA OF ALPHA OMICRON PI 9

vision of the Faculty of Barnard, directly or through Student Council.
Resolved, That all student organizations of whatever description be chartered

for a limited term by Student Council, subject to the supervision of the
Faculty Committee on Student Organizations.

Resolved, That a joint meeting of the Faculty Committee on Student Or-
ganizations and of Student Council be held early in the fall to consider the
operation of the second and third sections above.

I t is obvious that some important constructive work must now be
undertaken. There rests upon the Faculty the responsibility of
aiding the students to form new and, i f possible, more helpful social
organizations, whose advantages may be enjoyed by all who need
and desire them. Our period of experimentation without regular
fraternity chapters should be made as f r u i t f u l as possible.

We must realize that, whatever forms of student organizations we
develop, we shall have to face certain difficulties and problems.
The experience of other institutions indicates that, whether we have
chapters of national secret societies, local secret societies, local non-
secret societies, departmental clubs, eating clubs or senior societies,
we shall always suffer from occasional disagreeable complications.
In spite of these troubles, however, most college administrators recog-
nize today the great educational value of student organizations and
student activities, when properly conducted and supervised. Besides
giving pleasure, they help to train executive ability and the power
of leadership, and to develop the character and spirit.

Any system of student organizations should be constructed so as
to give to as many individuals as possible opportunities in certain
important lines. Nearly all students should have experience in man-
aging organizations and conducting meetings. They should have
a chance to practice some beneficial activity, such as athletics, acting
or debating. They should be enabled to make as numerous and var-
ied a set of acquaintances as possible—an end which we at Barnard,
with our extraordinary varied and cosmopolitan community, can
achieve most happily and successfully. Finally—and this is very
important for their future personal happiness and also for the de-
velopment of their affection and loyalty to the college—they should
have a chance to form some congenial, intimate and lasting friend-
ships.

In order to attain these good ends Barnard, as a college which
is mainly non-residential, probably needs a rather large number of
well-developed organizations. Because most of us do not live to-
gether, we need more social machinery to bring us together than
would be required at a college where the students live in constant
and intimate intercourse, morning, noon and night. We need sev-
eral large general organizations, athletic, dramatic and literary, to