Evening star., 1954-12-17
Phi Beta Kappa
Official Denies
Replies to Accusation
Hopkins and Goucher
Bor Nd. u. Chapter

honorary fraternity believes the
charge is unjustified.
DR.. Byrd made the accusation
against the neighboring Balti-
more colleges in a letter he sent
to the Maryland campus news
paper. "Diamondback." A reply
to the accusation was made by
R. E. Loving of Richmond, Va,
former president of the Southern
Atlantic District of Phi Beta
Kappa.
In his letter, DR.. Byrd seeks
to answer some of the charges
leveled against him in the fall
political campaign, when DR..
Byrd made an unsuccessful run
against Gov. McKeldin. One
of these blamed DR.. Byrd for
ineffective administration of the
university. The lack of a Phi
Beta Kappa Chapter at Mary
land figured in the Republican
charges.
Disclosed in Campaign.
It was disclosed during the
political campaign that Mary
land had been denied a Phi
Beta Kappa Chapter in 1948. A
1948 letter to DR.. Byrd from Carl
Billman. secretary of the frater-
nity's Committee on Qualifica-
tions, was publicized. 1t listed
DR.. Byrd's "autocratic powers"
as president and a faculty which
does not function at all as a
legislative body" as some of the
reasons for refusing member
ship.
To support his charges against
Johns Hopkins and Goucher, DR.
Byrd has quoted from 1850 let
ter written by Mr.. Loving, who
at that time was president of the
Southern Atlantic district of the
fraternity. The Loving letter
states:
g. In fact, If Hopkins and
.Goucher indorse the University
of Maryland, it would be almost
sure to win chapter and if they
oppose or are cool toward it, ]
doubt if it can win in the South
Atlantic district or in the next
national council"
OF this DR.. Byrd said: "It is
evident. therefore, that the rea-
son why the University of Mary
land has not been granted a
chapter Is because of opposition
by Hopkins and Goucher."
Explains Procedure.
Notified Of Dr., Byrd's charges,
Mr.. Loving replied that he
thought Maryland's former
president was not justified in
implying that Hopkins and
Goucher fought Maryland.
LAS I recall it," said Mr.. Low
ing, Il was asked what pro.
cedure Maryland should follow
to get a Phi Beta Kappa chapter
established on the campus.
merely told them the first ster
was to get Endorsement from the
Phi Beta Kappa chapters of two
neighboring colleges, which
happened in this case to oe
Hopkins and Goucher
Mr.. Loving explained that
once neighboring chapters rec
ommend a new chapter, the
matter then is placed before the
Phi Beta Kappa senate, which
meets everv three years. From
the senate the mater then goes
to the various regional groups OF
Phi Beta Kappa for approval.
Mr.. Loving said he never heard
any more ABOUT the request, and
assumed the senate never
recommended it or never was
asked to do so He added that
he knew of no Jealousy" OF
rivalry" by Hopkins and Couch
er toward Maryland.
Byrd Just "a Little Sore"
II expect DR.. Byrd is just Q
little sore," commented Mr.. Low.
ing.
DR.. Byrd said he had no direct
part in Maryland's latest effort.
to acquire a chapter of the
honorary society, but a Baltimore
businessman became interested
in the matter and tried to flne
out what was wrong. It was tht
Baltimore man who wrote Mr.
Loving.
DR.. Otto F. Kraushaar, presi.
dent of Goucher, declared thai
DR.. Byrd's charges were com.
pletely unfounded. He explained
that the Examining Committee
for new chapters is selected By
national headquarters of the
fraternity, and said local chap
ters were not consulted on new
applications.
DR.. KrauShaar's predecessor
at Goucher, DR.. David Robert
son. was a member of the PHI
Beta Kappa Accrediting Com
mittee and the fraternity's SEN
ate in l948, when Maryland's
last application was rejected.
DIR. Kraushaar said DR.. Robert
sons activities on the commit
tee, however. we're as a member
of the fraternity-and not as
president of Goucher.
Hopkins Dean Replies.
G. Wilson Shaffer, dean oi
students at Hopkins. said he was
certain Hopkins has done moth
ing to prevent the University OF
Maryland having a Phi Beta
Kappa chapter"
When the 1948 fraternity let
ter of rejection was disclosed in
October, DR.. Wilson H. Elkins
DR.. Byrd's successor as university
president. refused to discuss it
saying he felt anything he said
would be injected into politics