DEAN HOLMES GIVES FIRST COMMENT ON ENROLLMENT SHIFT

The statistics below have been compiled by taking the large introductory courses of each mentioned field and by adding up the total enrollment in each field to learn by how many men the enrollment is greater or less than last year. These figures are preliminary and incomplete but confirm the nature of the trends.

16--sciences--406 men. 12 social sciences--428 men. 11 modern languages--198 men. 6 English courses--88 men. 2 philosophies--169 men. 2 Latin courses--102 men.

Stating that the surprising shifts in course enrollment figures due to the abolition of distribution requirements are a matter of future rather than immediate importance, Dean Holmes of the Graduate School of Education, expressed yesterday the first official opinion on the situation which is keeping administrative offices in a state of confusion this week.

New Sections

The other developments of the day were as follows:

1. Courses such as Government 1 and Economics A have engaged new section men to handle their huge numbers. Fields suffering decreases, such as the Sciences and Philosophy, will retain all section men who are under contract.

2. A compilation of statistics according to fields confirmed the early indications that the social sciences have made huge gains and that the sciences have sustained heavy losses.

No Immediate Change

Asked how teaching methods would be affected by the new situation, Mr. Holmes, replied that the greater interest of the students, freed from compulsion, might facilitate teaching in many cases. "Actual teaching methods will not be affected at once, however," he said. "Any fundamental change would not be per- ceptible for several years."

Supporting the new Conant distribution policy, he said, "Under President Eliot absolutely free election of courses was allowed. Since students tended to take easy courses, President Lowell introduced the system of concentration and distribution.

"Since distribution was inflexible in its demands of specific courses, it was out of gear with concentration. Under the new system, a man will not only have a free choice of a field of concentration but his efforts in this field will be directed and cumulative, and the principle of distribution will be flexible.