Pusey Insists Expansion Prevented by Facilities

The present discussion of expansion of the College is "vastly out of proportion," President Pusey said Tuesday. He added that he was "bored with the argument," and that "the use of the word 'expansion' is not justified."

Pusey stated flatly, "We can't expand." The enrollment of the College is limited by the number of dormitory rooms available, the size of the Faculty, and the amount of library space, he explained. One possibility for expansion might have been in the College commuter population, but the number of commuters has declined, Pusey said.

The Masters and others debating the issue have been dealing with comparatively small numbers, Pusey said, and have not really been concerned with "expansion," "People have gotten emotional" recently about a long-standing issue, he remarked.

"In time, there will be a tenth House," Pusey said. The President mentioned the desirability of the MTA Yard as a location for a House, pointing out its proximity to the Yard, to Soldiers Field, and to the Loeb Drama Center. There is no act date after which the University will look elsewhere for land, Pusey stated.

Pusey Will Determine Size

Pusey said that variations in the acceptance rate of successful candidates for admission account for much of the difference in size of freshman classes. In the past, McGeorge Bundy, former Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, determined the figure for the size of the incoming class, and now the task will probably fall to Pusey. The figure for the Class of '65 has not yet been established.

The President partially accounted for the unexpectedly small number of applications this year by citing the "frustration" of alumni admissions workers. "Last year the efforts of the alumni were deeply frustrated--we couldn't take people they wanted," he said. The large proportion of "first rate young men" who were turned down last year may now be reflected in the efforts of alumni, Pusey noted.