Interfraternity Conference Holds Vital Sessions
Al'Van E. Duerr, D. 1' D. Re-elected Chairman
together at the Hotel Pennsylvania on GATHERED November 27-28 of the past year, 169 delegates of sixty-seven national fraternities and fifteen deans of colleges and universities pried deeply, and in detail, into problems confronting the fraternity system and adopted legislation designed to meet such problems and improve conditions as they now exist. Representing Pi Kappa Phi were Supreme Chancellor A. W. Meisel, District Archon W. J. Berry, and Executive Secretary H. D. Leake. The outstanding feature of the program was the crisply delivered and keenly thoughtful address of Dr. Henry Suzzallo, president of the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and former university president. The conditions surrounding his address were intriguing in that he asked that his name be withheld from the group until the time of the address arrived. Until he was introduced, then, it was unknown to the gathered group who was to make the address. The text of his speech will be found in other pages of this issue. Reports Interesting
Among salient facts of accomplishment brought out by various reports was that for the second year in succession the scholastic average of the fraternity group had exceeded the all-men's average on more than 50 per cent of the campuses. Mr. Alvan Duerr, who was elected to succeed himself as president of the organization, had continued to function as the chairman of the scholarship committee and was able to present an even more encouraging report than last year. In 66 per cent of the institutions, fraternity men 2
are leading. A significant development was the improvement of standing of the larger organizations. In the smaller organizations were found, this time, the poorest as well as the best averages. The Information Service of the Conference had been busy accumulating data concerning the possibilities of introducing group fire insurance and surety bonds for the fiscal officers of all the member groups. The committee, of which Secretary E. T. T. Williams was chairman, presented excellent data of sufficiently encouraging nature to warrant the continuance of the investigation and probable adoption of the idea. This will save the members of the Conference considerable money if plans pointing to that end materialize. Prof. R. H. Jordan of Cornell University, head of the scholarship committee of Phi Gamma Delta, rendered an excellent paper on the development, advantages, and organization of tutorial systems now used by some of the fraternities. There is an increasing trend along these lines among the organizations that have the financial strength to initiate the system. Pi Kappa Phi must hold the idea in abeyance until more favorable prospects present themselves.
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College Control of Chapters
Dean J. A. Parks, of Ohio State University, stated that "if the institution has accepted the chapter, it has some responsibility for successful operation of the organization," and gave a clear exposition of what his own institution is doing along the line of that principle. The college furnishes an auditor for those chapters desiring such service. It has the local credit agency rate the organizations. Gatherings of presidents, stewards, and chapter advisers of all chapters are called together periodically in separate meetings for purposes of discussion of similar and mutual problems. As a result of the discussion, the Conference voted to appoint a committee whose duties shall be the investigation and devising of ways and means for better cooperation between the deans and the national organizations for closer control of the affairs of local chapters. The future relation of the Conference and the junior college was clearly expressed by the adoption
THE STAR AND LAMP
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