THE OPEN LETTER

To the Editors of the CRIMSON:

There has been much talk about change at Harvard, yet after several years of committees and study reports, all that has been accomplished is just that: much talk. Whereas many other universities are moving forward educationally, Harvard is ossifying. It is time for this complacent and slowly dying school to bring itself back to life as a viable educational institution by acting on, rather than merely talking about, major educational change.

These then, are our seventeen demands:

1. Institute guidelines instead of requirements (Gen. Ed., concentration, language and expository writing)

2. Create an effective system of advising.

3. Create a General Education major.

4. Move the freshmen out of the Yard and into Houses-make the Yard into Houses or experimental mini-colleges.

5. Decentralize much of education and administration to the Houses.

6. Create a center for educational innovation and an experimental college.

8. Move away from the lecture system to more tutorials, seminars, and independent work.

9. Move toward complete pass/no-credit with meaningful evaluation.

10. Grant a personal portfolio instead of the degree.

11. Have two-year majors instead of three: concentration decisions would be made at the end of the sophomore, rather than freshman year.

12. End the discrimination against women, minorities, and radicalism in admissions, hiring, granting of tenure, and course offerings.

13. Oppose 3-yr. BA; instead make 4 yrs, standard with 3 and 5 yr options.

14. Open up the elite majors (Soc. Stud and Hist. and Lit)

15. Accept credit from other institutions and for field work and non-formal-course learning.

16. Build a student union center.

17. Encourage student-initiated courses.