ENGLISH A BARRIER RAISED FIVE POINTS

By a recent vote of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, the standard of exemption from English A of students entering the College has been raised five points. Last year, with the abolition of the anticipatory examinations which had been in force previously, a new system was adopted whereby a mark of 70 per cent or better in his College entrance examinations would excuse a student from his usual Freshman English requirement. For the coming year the work will have to be 75 per cent to procure the student's exemption.

Aside from this elevation of the standard, it was learned last night from members of the English Department, no further changes have been made, and the system remains basically and in spirit exactly as it was when first adopted.

The new system, introduced by Professor Bliss Perry, Francis Lee Higginson Professor of English Literature, was designed to give a greater measure of freedom to the upper third of a class, a portion which, it was found, stood in rather small need of the meticulously fundamental work afforded by English A. With this in view the anticipatory examination was abolished, and the students are exempted on the basis of their entrance examinations. This, however, does not apply, it has been learned, to men entering without examinations according to the upper-seventh system, and all such men will be required to take the course.

The reason for the change from the 70 to 75 per cent basis of selection, is due according to the English Department, to the fact that by making 70 per cent the standard, almost half of the class was excused from English A, many men who should have taken the course being exempted.