Seminar Program Shrinks But More Freshmen Apply

A record number of freshmen were turned away from the Seminar Program this year because of an increase in applicants and a decrease in the number of seminars offered.

Last year's Freshman Seminar Program listed 42 choices: 25 given all-year, eight in the fall, and nine in the spring. This year, Freshmen options were limited to 35 seminars: 20 all-year courses, eight in the fall, and seven in the

Edward T. Wilcox, Director of the Freshman Seminar Program, said the decrease in seminars could be attributed to the difficulty of recruiting professors. Many professors find their schedule filled with obligations to their department, making seminar commitments impossible, he noted.

Wilcox would like to expand the seminar program, and he explained that the dearth of seminars offered was "not a policy decision, but rather a question of how many qualified teachers are available." He pointed out that, as with all inter-departmental programs, the Freshman Seminar Program does not have the power of appointment.

Wilcox noted that the large number of applications might be a result of an increase in students applying to more than one seminar. Multi-application, he said, could be interpreted as an effort among students to taste the "seminar experience."