Faculty Vote Abolishes Special Reading Exams

Special reading examinations in French, German, and Spanish, time-honored means of passing the College language requirements, were abolished this week by a vote of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences effective immediately.

Undergraduates who desire to satisfy the language requirement in these languages will have three options left at their disposal:

1. They may count high school study by achieving a grade of 594 or better on a College Entrance Board examination.

2. They may pass a second year language course in the College with a grade of C or better.

3. They may achieve a satisfactory grade on placement examinations given in French, German, and Spanish at the beginning of each term.

Cut Faculty Burden

The purpose of the Faculty's move is to eliminate the burden of preparation and correction of the exam papers, Taylor Starck, professor of German, said last night, pointing out that the special reading examination had been utilized largely by men who failed to get a C in a second year language course. Starck, along with William Berrien, professor of Romance Languages and Literatures, was instigator of the decision.

The results of the reading examinations were never accurate, Starck asserted, as "it is hard to get an objective judgement where a large number of correctors are involved. The only fair way is to have each paper read by two men," he indicated, adding that the volume of examinations makes this impossible.

May Boost Classics

Tightening of requirements by the modern language departments may induce more men to study Latin and Greek, a representative of the Classics Department theorized yesterday. The German and Romance Language Departments disclosed last night that no expansion of course offerings was anticipated as a result of the demise of the reading examination.