Advance Standing Plan Causes Faculty Dispute

A member of the Committee on Educational Policy last night attacked that Committee's plan to admit students to the College as sophomores. J. Douglas Bush, professor of English, also revealed that he had voted against this point in the Committee meetings--the one vote cast by a Committee member against any of the advanced standing proposals.

"I don't believe in three-year degrees, especially for the superior student," Bush said. "Liberal education should not be viewed as a prison term with one-fourth off for good behavior. I'm aware of the pressures of time and money, but these should not be the real consideration."

The proposal to which Bush objects would allow certain students who had been given advanced placement credit in three or more courses to be admitted as sophomores. Bush said this three-year degree would inevitably limit the scope of education because of the number of courses required for concentration and General Education.

John H. Finley '25, Master of Eliot House, also doubted the wisdom of these students entering the Houses as sophomores. Describing himself as "a fierce protagonist of the four-year college," Finley said that he has always thought of Harvard's housing system as "letting the boy make friends while brushing teeth in Weld Hall before moving behind the tin doors of the Houses." If putting these entering students in the Houses became a general rule, Finley said he would consider it a bad idea, but that occasionally there could be exceptions.

Von Stade Asks Limitations

Also concerned with the question of advanced standing, Dean of Freshmen F. Skiddy von Stade '38 hoped the plan would begin on a very small scale. Von Stade said that he had always tended to discourage men from three-year degrees because "the valuable things about college take leisure."

The proposals would also allow an eleventh grade student to come to Harvard as a freshman, omitting his senior school year. Von stade said that he was very much prejudiced in favor of this plan, cutting a year out of the school rather than college curriculum.

Rhinelander Wants Flexibility

Phillip H. Rhinelander '29, Director of General Education, sees the plan for advanced placement as a flexible system which will meet diverse needs. Under the Placement provision, the CEP would allow qualified students to begin in advanced, rather than elementary, General Education courses.

Rhinelander warned, however, against exempting so large a number from the elementary courses that the basic General Education program becomes a burden or penalty. He felt that only a small number of men will be exempted and that each advanced placement case must be considered on an individual basis. "We In General Education will play along with this proposal, if the faculty approves it." Rhinelander concluded.

Harold C. Martin, director of General Education Ahf, also thought that exemptions from his course would affect only a small number of incoming students, Martin said, "Very few students write so well when they reach Harvard that they don't benefit from a writing course." He felt that a better solution than exemptions lies in the course's new "honor sections," designed to step up work for the able writer.

In addition to the plans for advanced placement and standing, the CEP report would allow honors concentrators to omit a maximum of two courses from their program in the junior and senior years to leave them free for increased research or general study.

Five major points of the CEP's plan were outlined Thursday by Dean Bundy, chairman of the Committee. Bundy will bring the proposals before a full faculty meeting on Tuesday