S. Gerber Discusses
New Student Union

            Criticizing the National Student League and Student League for Industrial Democracy as "sectarian groups," Serril Gerber, executive secretary of the NSL, discussed the formation of the American Student Union at the open meeting of Student Council on Wednesday.

            The failure of these two militant campus groups to attract a majority of the student body is demonstrated by the walkout of 15,000 students at the April 12 strike although the membership of the two radical organizations is but a fraction of that number.

            "A progressive, broad, and completely non-sectarian" student movement, will be the aim of the new American Student Union. "If we were organizing a trade union in a factory we would not discuss the Soviet Union or the policies of President Roosevelt but rather the hours and conditions of work in that particular factory," explained the speaker. "The NSL and the SLID frequently buried their points beneath an avalanche of doctrine and analysis until the average student lost sight.

of them completely," he continued. To remove these defects, the new organization will concern itself only with those problems directly affecting the student, such as ROTC, the NYA and the retrenchment in education.

            The American Student Union is the "logical heir of all progressive tradition on the American campus" and as such is expected to include all groups, religions, cultural and political. It must not be regarded as simply the merger of the NSL and the SLID, stressed the speaker. "However," emphasized Mr. Gerber, "there could have been no progressive movement if militant students had not prepared the way."

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May 20, 2004