Faculty Opinion Split Over Use of Pass-Fail

Harvard's departments won't start formal consideration of whether students can count pass-fail courses for concentration until next week--but there are already indications that Faculty opinion on the question is divided and that the departments may reach different decisions.

A week ago the Committee on Educational Policy approved a plan allowing students to take one of their four courses graded "pass-fail" starting next Fall.

The plan would allow students to count pass-fail courses for concentration "with the permission of the department concerned."

The proposal comes before the Faculty at its meeting next Tuesday. If the Faculty approves the CEP's wording, the problem of deciding how widely students will be able to use the pass-fail option will be thrown directly into the department's laps.

Department Reluctant

"I'm a liberal on academic questions and I'm hoping my department will go along 100 per cent, but other members may be a bit more reluctant," Jack M. Stein, chairman of the Department of Germanic Languages and Literature, said. At the department meeting December 12, he said he "will insist that we come out with some kind of position."

Other departments--English, Government, and Chemistry for instance--may postpone the question until after Christmas. "Knowing the tenor of my department, I'm sure they'll put off crossing that bridge until they have to face it," Andrew M. Gleason, chairman of the Mathematics Department said Monday.

Restrictions Justified

Most of the chairmen contacted, like Stein, thought pass-fail courses should be allowed to count for concentration, but a few others thought restriction could be justified. "With tutorial and independent study already available, it would be best to use pass-fail to encourage people to take courses outside their field," Stephen Williams, Chairman of the Anthropology Department said.

"When I was in college I couldn't take pass-fail courses in my field, and I thought it was pretty silly," Robert P. Levine, acting chairman of the Biology Department said. "Now, I'm not sure. Some toughly graded courses might be hurt by a rush of pass-fail students. Right now, I'm confused.