Faculty Votes Full Courses Out for War

To simplify the course credit system, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences has voted to abolish all full courses for the duration, A. Chester Hanford, Dean of the College, announced yesterday. Hereafter, virtually all courses in the College will be designated as half courses.

Dean Hanford characterized the action as the logical extension of the earlier vote that was passed by the Faculty, on January 6, which provided that either half of a whole course might be taken by students with the proper prerequisites. That planning on a whole year basis has become impractical was shown, according to the Dean, by the vast number of men who changed courses in the middle of the College year last February.

Educational Advantage

Aside from the impracticality of the present system, there is a definite educational advantage to be gained from the measure, Hanford said, since a full course grade is based largely on the second half's work, unbalancing the work of the men who enter the course in the second half.

"Especially now," he said, "when not even lip service needs to be paid in the final examination to the work of the first term, it seems improper to allot credit this way. All these handicaps will be done away with by the simple measure of division, and in addition greater flexibility of program will be available to the undergraduate.

Practical Necessity

Administratively the handling of courses under this new basis will be far simpler, faculty members and students alike will no longer have to plan on a one term basis in a two term, full-course setup. Moreover with the "College year" of two terms no longer in existence but a three term basis with entrance at the beginning of any term, the change is one of the practical necessity.

"The purely mechanical administrative conveniences of arranging all courses as half-courses are too numerous to mention" Reginald H. Phelps Assistant Dean in charge of records, said in his comments upon the newly-adopted measure. He cited a few simplifications, however, such as the process of registering, enrollment, course changes, and the handling of fees.

Another advantage, educationally, is the better system of advising which in the June Class of '46 is handled by both Freshman advisers and tutors.