Seminars May Be Open To Sophomores

Freshman seminars may be opened to advanced standing sophomores, and, under special circumstances, to regular sophomores, Dean Ford told the CRIMSON Wednesday. Advanced standing sophomores are still freshmen in certain respects, he said, and they should not be denied the opportunities the seminars offer.

At a meeting of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences on Feb. 12, the Conway Committee on Freshman Seminars had recommended that the seminars be continued and that they "be primarily for freshmen." Dean Ford explained that a regular sophomore would probably be able to take a seminar if he could show convincingly why he had missed the program during his freshman year and could convince the Faculty why he should take one as a sophomore, in place of an upper-level seminar or tutorial. Dean Ford estimated that such cases would be very infrequent.

He also explained the recommendation "that the committee reviewing the program of General Education be requested to consider the relation of the seminars to that program." The Conway Committee did not want to tie the hands of the Doty Committee on General Education, Dean Ford said. Though no one has mentioned the possibility, conceivably the Doty Committee might want to re-organize non-departmental courses such as the seminars and general education courses under one, large "unbrella." Thus this recommendation left the position of the seminar undetermined, Dean Ford explained.

On Feb. 6, the Conway Committee presented its conclusions and recommendations on Freshman Seminars to the Committee on Educational Policy, which endorsed the report without opposition. Dean Ford then opened discussion of the future of the Seminar Program at the Faculty meeting of Feb. 12.