Faculty To Study Plan For Reorganizing Yard

Five House-like units of residence may be established in the Yard by September, 1962. Dean Monro indicated Monday that the Faculty and the Administrative Board will probably examine the proposal this Spring.

The current plan, based on a suggestion made last Spring by Benjamin W. Labaree, Allston Burr Senior Tutor of Winthrop House, would set up five smaller units of organization within the present physical structure of the Yard. "Senior advisers" would be the administrative heads of each complex, and some section men would live among the freshmen.

Each unit would contain about 220-250 freshmen, if the class remained near its present size.

Labaree said yesterday that no formal action has been taken on his proposal, and that "the normal place for it to come up would be the CEP." But he agreed that September, 1962, would be "the logical time" to implement the plan.

Time is needed for planning, Labaree said, before the University spends money on physical changes. "The costs wouldn't be very much," he continued. "Converting some present rooms into apartments for advisers would be the most costly change. It could come to $100,000."

One new idea is to organize the divisions of the Yard along the lines of sections in General Education Ahf and other Gen Ed courses. "Ostensibly, each unit would contain about 10 Gen Ed A sections," Labaree explained, "and the three to five section men who handle them would be assigned to that unit." Thus the men who grade freshmen's work would also meet them in the dormitories and in the Union.

The expanded tutorial program recently devised by Richard T. Gill '48, Allston Bull Senior Tutor of Leverett House, might make it difficult to find advisers. "There is probably a bit more of a squeeze to find junior faculty members to spend time which will not further their careers in their departments," Labaree said.

Job Less Demanding

But the jobs in the freshman dormitories "would not be nearly so demanding as those of Senior Tutors in the Houses," according to Labaree. He pointed out the smaller size of the complexes, and the fact that "there would be no letters of recommendation to write."

Labaree said that re-organization of the Yard would not make first-year life "too compartmentalized." "There are enough unifying institutions," he said. Dean Monro cautioned Monday, "We don't want to lose the intimations of the size of Harvard which the Freshman year gives."

In fact, Labaree said, "if anything, the new plan would give a more realistic view of what Harvard is like. The College is a large society, with smaller units. The freshman year is the year that is out of step."

The new plan might open the way for expansion, Labaree noted, "If you divided the Yard into units of 220, and wanted to add 250 freshmen to the class, the units would still have just 270 each. Otherwise, you would only add 250 freshmen to a large, somewhat disorganised pot."