Faculty Votes to Curtail Cutting, Allow Cumulative Course Mark

Following up Dean Hanford's warning of last Monday with definitive action, Dean Buck announced yesterday that the Faculty of Arts and Sciences has voted that regular attendance be required and that attendance be taken in all courses.

The Faculty meeting of Tuesday afternoon passed on these provisions designed to curb cutting, which, according to Hanford was increasing and inexcusable under present conditions. No definite limit has been set on cuts but under the new system attendance will be "required," and the Administrative Board will exclude persistent offenders from their courses or take other disciplinary action.

The Provisions

The change in policy toward cutting is accomplished by three specific decisions. The first provides that "the first sentence of Section 2 of the "Regulations for Students in Harvard College" be amended as follows: "Regular attendance at college exercises is required." The sentence as printed now ends, "is expected."

Second, the vote says that in courses in which absences are not now regularly recorded by the Records Office, "the instructor in charge of the course shall keep a record of attendance."

And finally instructors are ordered to warn students whose attendance is unsatisfactory that they are in danger of disciplinary action at the hands of the Administrative Board.