Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1920-10-09
PENN Alumni like
NEW DEGREE RULE
o.lieves It Solves vexing Prob
lem Of Athletics in Salts
, factory Way
WILL MAKE FOR EQUALITY

-" ,roblem has met with enthusi-
M ,, commendation from the under
.snote body and influential alumni.
Thomss B. Donaldson. state insur.
aV", commissioner and prominent
ance ,s ~ the University, called 1t a
in anpln md elastic rule" today in com
lalI "" on H. John G. Bell, who Is
meh'ms ,rnstee and leading member OF
pom ,shietic council. said that in his
.ri .niuion il was "a very happy solution
~ ihe controversy. -
Of tnt;ng ,nt Provost Penniman. author OF
saw rule. IL generally complimented
tne W. W." solntion of what has been the
On a'1 1oyinp problem before the athletic
eonTv Tho degree rule" which was legis-
,.,.S ont of existence at yesterday s
laeu .,,a NJ the athletic council. forbade
mer,L,n m'r,.rs of degrees, whether given by the
ppton;rsrsitv Of Pennsylvania or other IN
st,i,nt;ons' from participation in com
s..;,;ve athletics with other colleges. lt
,be effect Of keeping a large pro-
haitian nsa Of the students in all the pro-
po..ional schools. especially the medi :.
I scbool where q degree is required
60, sntrance. off Penn's teams.
"r rss new rule In effect permits all
.,,aonts 70 take part in athletics, but
.iuos Tho athletic council power to rule
tbs eligibility Of individual athletes
og b.n ~. games are played with institu-
Sons having n degree rule such as Penn
has just rejected.
Think Settlement Fair
Z, n word. Penn from now on will
,,.et other colleges on their own
sronnd, Where the rival team is made
m ~ strictly undergraduate students,
ps,n's team will contain only under
Graduates. Where the rival team has
Alder men from the professional schools,
Solders Of degrees, Penn will play her
mi strength Of older men.
"It seems to me Doctor Penniman
bss fortunately arrived at what Is a
fair settlement Of the whole matter
,aid Mr.. Donaldson today.
'rThis new rule simply gives us our
choice OF any men we want until there
/, question Of playing strictly under
rraduate team. One of the important
s.nects of the new rule Is in regard to
International athletics. Suppose we
want TO compete with one Of the great
English universities. 1t is hardly fair
to ask our undergraduate teams, COM
posed Of very young men, to meet teams
Of seasoned athletes who are graduate
students. 1t is conceivable that some
OF our own graduates, now Rhodes
scholars at Oxford. might compete on
an English university team against our
BOYS, who are several years younger
and vastly less experienced.
"As read it, the degree rule was
aimed at the importation OF men who
were good athletes yet had not played
their full term on their own college
teams. The fear seemed to be that
such men would be induced to come to
the University Of Pennsylvania merely
TO play on its teams. AS l pointed out
In a letter to the Pennsylvania, the
degree rule utterly failed in this pur
pose, because there was nothing to
prevent bringing undergraduate stu
dents to Penn from other colleges be-
cause of their athletic ability.
ut seemed to me that the degree
rule put a penalty on education. in
that university degrees are required of
many of our professional students, yet
we dpbar them from the pleasures and
benefits of playing OH our teams.
doctor Penniman's new rule hap
PLY solves all these problems. and nuts
athletics at Penn on basis at once
democratic and fair to both its own
student body and the student bodies
0i o'her 'ns'i'utions'
Expected Bitter Fight
con..o.n u.... 80 a.,...s A..
,oo,;uu ust"rs 10 Wha' mas sMperteu Ia .ae une
.Sontnss .S.Ss n' wien Win tae neW ru,e Was Mas
suop,eu oS 'o.e " W T,' o' mas Huiet
he be i'Un, nn,S an ans,es' .I ne uscis.oi On
Wv umIenunhenI was reacheu IuiIhis
tl nu o.ner business 'aken up. IL hag
vsen @ e@pet'eu tnat u pitter hgnt WoulG
.e;ut' .e;u put the compromise eliminated
'nS; .,, . A.,
t,,iI ine essentia' part OF the new rule
'o'.TWs' s'
In arranging game or sChed-