Phi Beta Kappa Records Show 62 Percent of High Honor Men are Elected--28 Percent of Members Receive Cums

As was announced in the CRIMSON of November 5 in an article by O. S. Loud '29, first marshal of Phi Beta Kappa, the Harvard chapter of Phi Beta Kappa is this year increasing the number of men elected from each class from 45 to 65. This change restores the old proportion of Phi Beta Kappa men per class that has been lost in recent years through the growth of the college, and in the future it will allow Phi Beta Kappa to take roughly a tenth from each class instead of a thirteenth or a fourteenth as has lately been the custom.

Investigations of the Phi Beta Kappa elections for the past five years yield in part the statistical results given above, which are of some significance in view of the change this year. As will readily be seen, the old quota of 45 did not allow all of the Magna and Summa men in a class to be elected to the society. The new quota of 65 however, gives opportunity for the election of all these high honor men, in an ordinary year, since in only one year in the past five have the Magnas and Summas awarded exceeded 65, and the average number has been 57. Further study of the above figures, however, discloses that Phi Beta Kappa has failed in two ways in the last five years to take in even as many Magna and Summa men as its old quota of 45 permitted. Firstly, in only one year of the five considered, (1926) do the official records show that the full number of 45 men were elected. Secondly, though many Magna and Summa men have not been elected in the past five years (38 percent)--in part due to the restriction of numbers elected--a substantial number of Cum men have nevertheless been Class  Magnas and Sumthas  Cums (general and special)  % of Cums from men taken in on course grades  Magnas and Summas in P. B. K. including June elections  Total Magnas and Summas Awarded in class  % of Magnas and Summas in class elected to P. B. K. *1928  16  7  30%  36  60  60% 1927  20  10  33%  31  69  45% 1926  22  8  27%  37  46  80% 1925  23  7  23%  37  60  62% 1924  22  8  27%  36  51  71% Totals  103  40  28%  177  286  62% * Only 25 men taken in on basis of course grades Two denied degrees

honored by the society. Since the men elected to Phi Beta Kappa at the end of the Senior year are elected purely on a basis of the divisional award of Magnas and Summas, the Cum members of the society come exclusively from the ranks of those elected before the end of the Senior year, that is, from the men elected on the basis of their course grades. It is, perhaps, significant that of the men so elected, 28 percent were Cum men; and figures not included in the table above show that over half of the Cum men of this 28 percent took general and not special Cums, thus ranking but little above the average student at Commencement. From the above considerations, it appears that even with the increase in the number of men elected to Phi Beta Kappa from each class, a continuation of the old method of election not only will not utilize the new opportunity of electing all the Magna and Summa men, but will even increase the number and percent of Cum men now taken into the society.

An analysis of the figures of the last two years brings out the above points as well as certain others less definite. In 1927 for instance only 41 men were elected out of a possible 45, and in 1928 only 42 in spite of the fact that a large percentage of Magna and Summa men were not chosen. In 1927, that is, instead of the usual 38 percent, 55 percent of the Magna and Summa men were not admitted to Phi Beta Kappa

honored by the society. Since the men elected to Phi Beta Kappa at the end of the Senior year are elected purely on a basis of the divisional award of Magnas and Summas, the Cum members of the society come exclusively from the ranks of those elected before the end of the Senior year, that is, from the men elected on the basis of their course grades. It is, perhaps, significant that of the men so elected, 28 percent were Cum men; and figures not included in the table above show that over half of the Cum men of this 28 percent took general and not special Cums, thus ranking but little above the average student at Commencement. From the above considerations, it appears that even with the increase in the number of men elected to Phi Beta Kappa from each class, a continuation of the old method of election not only will not utilize the new opportunity of electing all the Magna and Summa men, but will even increase the number and percent of Cum men now taken into the society.

An analysis of the figures of the last two years brings out the above points as well as certain others less definite. In 1927 for instance only 41 men were elected out of a possible 45, and in 1928 only 42 in spite of the fact that a large percentage of Magna and Summa men were not chosen. In 1927, that is, instead of the usual 38 percent, 55 percent of the Magna and Summa men were not admitted to Phi Beta Kappa