Education: Consequences at Cornell

Two of Cornell University’s oldest and most bibulous social societies, Majura and Beth L’Amed, were holding a joint initiation ceremony on the eve of the Christmas holidays, and everyone was having a wonderful time. Then, as part of his ordeal, 20-year-old Harry C. Melton, a mechanical engineering student, undertook to drink himself silly. In about an hour, he had wolfed down more than a quart of Martinis. At that point he collapsed, was rushed to a hospital where he lay unconscious for 15 hours. For a while doctors feared for his life.

Cornell’s Acting President Cornelis de Kiewiet went into action, suspended both societies “in view of the nearly fatal consequences of [your] activities.” Then he called on a Cornell faculty committee to review the facts and make recommendations. Majura and Beth L’Amed (familiarly known as Mummy) had flourished for half a century at Cornell, but even in student opinion they had gone too far. Said the Cornell Daily Sun: “Cornell’s doctrine of ‘freedom with responsibility’ had clearly been abused . . . The administration will not and should not allow us to kill ourselves . . .” Last week the faculty committee made Acting President de Kiewiet’s ban permanent.