P.B.K. REVAMPS SYSTEM OF ELECTING HONOR MEN

Drastic changes in the method of election to Phi Beta Kappa will be put into effect this year, it was learned yesterday. Election of the Junior Eight has been postponed from November to March; a new election committee has been appointed, consisting of eight undergraduates and seven graduates, in place of the former committee of eight undergraduates; and excellence in tutorial work will be weighed more heavily than ever before, even for the Junior Eight.

In previous years eight juniors and 16 Seniors have been elected in November. This year only the 16 Seniors will be chosen, the election taking place Friday, November 17. The new policy will allow Midyear course grades to be counted for Juniors, as well as giving a more accurate index to their tutorial work. Initiation of the 16 Seniors will take place at a dinner on Monday, December 4.

The new election committee will consist of last year's Junior Eight and four elected and three ex-officio graduate members of the Society. The ex-officio members are President Conant, Dean Hanford, and Crane Brinton '19, corresponding secretary of the Harvard chapter. The elected members, who hold the position for only one year, are Mason Hammond '25, instructor and tutor in Ancient Languages, Charles C. Abbott '28, instructor and tutor in Economics, Seth T. Gano '07, graduate treasurer of Phi Beta Kappa, and Richard C. Curtis '16, prominent Boston lawyer.

It is the attempt of the Society, ac- cording to Dr. Brinton, to honor these who show their scholarship by means of high marks in honors theses and divisional examinations rather than in mere course marks; and the election changes have been planned to this end. A survey of honor men for the last 12 years showed that approximately 200 men graduated magna cum laude, but did not make Phi Beta Kappa, while 100 members of the Society received only cum laude degrees. Nine Phi Beta Kappa men received no honor degree at all