OFF THE SHELF

The spring months of last year saw two sweeping statements on Harvard education--a report of a special Faculty committee recommending a new "area" plan of concentration, and a Student Council report advocating the introduction of five broad survey courses, to be compulsory. The first is slowly reaching the stage of reality, while the second, to the best of anyone's knowledge, is just gathering dust in the Publications Office.

At first, the Faculty committee that made the "area" report voiced the hope that their plan would be ready to go into effect by the fall of '40. This would have meant a colossal job, for the project is huge in scope, involving not only the outfields of three or more complicated combined fields of concentration, but the even more staggering task of setting up tutorial staffs for them. With the tenure problem taking much of the Faculty's time, it is not surprising to hear that the "area" project will have to wait another year.

But there is no reason why the Student Council report should lie dormant. It is, in fact, based on the same principle as the "area" plan--the fight against too complete segregation of separate branches of learning. The Council's five broad survey courses bear a close relation to the new fields of concentration envisaged by the Faculty committee. The professors now working on the "area" project would find that the Student Council is in agreement with them as to the direction Harvard education must take. If anyone is going to act on the Council's report, they are the ones to do it.