William Lyon Phelps Asks Interchange of Yale And Harvard Juniors---Would Benefit Colleges

"The best plan for a student to follow, in order to profit by the educational opportunities offered by both Yale and Harvard, is to take his undergraduate work at one and his graduate at the other," said William Lyon Phelps, Lampson Professor emeritus of English at Yale University and eminent writer and lecturer, in an interview with the CRIMSON recently.

"This interchange of students is essential for the welfare of the college as a whole as well as for that of the individual student. I should like to see adopted the policy which is now carried on extensively in German universities, the interchanging of undergraduates. For example, a group of Yale men might spend their Junior year at Harvard and likewise a group of Harvard men spend their Junior year at New Haven. This would be an extremely interesting experiment, and would, I think, prove successful in the end.

"There are two outstanding changes which have become apparent at New Haven since the adoption of the college or house plan, which Yale adopted several years ago after observing the success it had met with at Harvard. One is that the intense class spirit that was so prevalent in my day has now almost vanished. No longer are a student's friends confined to his own class, but they are scattered among the upper three classes. In my time one very seldom made close contact with anyone unless he was of the same class. The other outstanding change, is the amalgamation of the Sheffield Scientific School with the academic college.

"I heartily approve of intercollegiate sports, and I certainly would hate to see athletic contests with other colleges abolished. As for over emphasis, it does not exist at either Yale or Harvard. I am a firm believer in intramural athletics; for there should be some outlet for those undergraduates who like to indulge in athletic games but either have not the ability or else the desire to be on a varsity."