Dunster Wins in First Inter-House Debate as Judges Split on Verdict

A Dunster House, team, arguing in favor of expansion of the University, defeated Eliot in the first Interhouse Debate yesterday by a 2-1 decision.

George H. Kraft '58 and Thomas M. Bergin '57, who composed the affirmative, argued that expansion was one of the major obliagtions of the University to the country. Bergin pointed out that as the need for qualified leaders, increases, the University must be prepared to increase the number of graduating students.

He also stated that expansion would be feasible since "We've always found the money before, and we'll find it again." Bergin and Kraft, who proposed to increase physical and teaching facilities at the same time, denied that the University's standards of admission or caliber of instruction would suffer.

Negative Arguments

The negative, Franklin P. Bennett '57 an Thomas Griffin '57 of Eliot House, contended that any expansion would not only lower the standards of the University, but would also defeat the purpose of a "Harvard education." They argued that "Harvard's mission is education, not teaching," and that expansion will eliminate many intangibles from the four years a student spends here.

Bennett and Kraft also rejected the possibility that the funds for any large scale expansion would be available. "At 8 to 13 million dollars per House, at least $100,000,000 would be required for any large expansion," they declared.

Bennett stated that "a large University would only make Harvard similar to the large mid-Western schools in qualities other than size." He added that expansion "changes the aims of an education as well as the methods of achieving it."

The debate was an exhibition match preparatory to the start of the regular House debate league in the spring semester.