The Student Council won half-hearted approval for continuing as a "dues-paying member of the National Student Association," as only a quarter of the student body voted in the Council's referendum. The vote also showed widespread disapproval of the Council's past participation in the organization.

With 1275 students voting, the referendum squeaked through with 650 in favor of remaining with NSA and 625 against. Of those who answered the question regarding individual satisfaction with the Council's participiation 268 expressed approval and 909 claimed dissatisfaction.

The light vote was interpreted by Council president Larry R. Johnson '58 to mean that "the Council should have made NSA better known," since "people aren't too concerned one way or the other." Johnson felt that the decision on NSA membership now definitely remains with the Council.

Opposing interpretations of the vote came from the two co-chairmen of the Council's NSA Referendum Committee, Luigi Einaudi '57 and Theodore D. Moscowitz '58. Einaudi felt the vote showed that the Council should increase its participation before making a final decision, while Moscowitz felt that the split vote forbade the Council from joining "for the entire student body."