The Omaha guide., 1942-01-17
PHI DELTA KAPPA WHITE CLAUSE ISSUE AGAIN FLARES INTO NATIONAL PRO-
EFFORT TO REMOVE WHITE
CLAUSE" FROM coNSTITU-
TIoN LOSES BY NARROW
MARGIN

MARGIN
COLUMBUS, o., Jan. II fby
Barbee w. Durham for AMP
Concentrated effort on the part Of
the Sigma Committee on Educa-
ton to have the now famous white
clause removed from the consritu-
ton of Phi Delta Kappa, national
honorary educational fraternity
met with failure when delegates
at the national convention voted
42-47. to retain it. Altho a mai
ority of the delegates, who con-
vened at the LaSalle hotel in Chi
cago on Dec. 1881, were in favor
of the change, the effort was not
supported by the needed 2-3 maj
ority necessary to change the con-
stitution, according to Prof. G. D.
Weibe, of the bureau of education
al research at Ohio State univers-
ity, and president Of the Sigma
committee.
The white Clause" has been an
issue for 10 or Is years and came
in for national attention in 1899
when Sigma Chapter of Ohio state
requested the committee on stan
dards and ethics of the national
council to define the word white"
as used in that clause of the ia
tional constitution which restricted
membership to white male stud
ents only.
After some delay, the commit
tee reported that it was unable to
define the word white" as used in
the clause in question. There up
on Sigma Chapter of Ohio state
defined the term as applying to a
person of any race who is moral
ly white. The chapter then init
lated two honor students, George
Wright, a Negro, and Dali Ho Chun
a Chinese student.
Following this action, the nat
ional organization of Phi Delta
Kappa suspended Sigma chapter
and ordered it to business.
In order to carry on the members
organized the present Sigma COM
mittee on Education, and launch
ed an intensive fight to have the
white clause stricken out.
Since the national organization
only meets every two years, the
meeting last week was the first
tim that the issue has been on the
floor. From the first there was
a studied attempt to avoid the is
sue. When a vote was finally Sc
cured the delegates voted At 10
AZ to strike out the clause. Attic
a majority, there vas a shortage
of 10 votes for the two thirds maj
ority necessary to change the con-
stitution. The organization then
informed Sigma chapter that it
would be reinstated if it would
drop Wright and Chin. Not weak
ening in its stand, Sigma commit
tee again forced the issue to the
floor, whereupon it was referred
to a committee.
When the issue came up the
third time, the organization voted
to revoke the charter of Sigma
chapter unless Wright and Chun
were expelled. In commenting up
on this action, Prof. Weibe stated
trat the Sigma Committee on Ed
ucation will, in all probability, re
tain Chun and Wright in good
standing and continue it's fight a
gainst racial discrimination. This
statement suggests that Sigma
chapter may send its charter back
to the national organization.
On the convention floor, it was
noticeable that the opposition was
was not all from below the Mason
and Dixon line. The effort rec
eived the support of some of The
southern delegates while some of
the delegates from the northern
states opposed it.
The inconsistency of the organ
ization'5 stand on the white clause
issue was brought out into the OPP
en- when it voted down a motion,
from a Kansas delegate that the
executive committee investigate
the initiation of one Carl Jesus
Maritus, a full blooded Aztec In
dian.
In conclusion, Prof. Weibe stat
ed that the administration of the
college of education of Ohio state