Ad Board May Prohibit Spring Leaves

The Administrative Board will soon act on a proposal to end all spring term leaves of absence and thereby eliminate the housing problems the return of students on leave causes each fall.

According to a suggestion put forth by Dean Whitlock Thursday, students would be allowed to take full-year leaves after either the fall or spring semesters, but would be permitted to take one-term leaves only in the fall.

Dean Whitlock informally suggested the move at last Thursday's Administrative Board meeting and expects the board to consider formally limitations on leaves "within the near future." Senior tutors contacted yesterday said they expected the board to reach a decision within two weeks.

Over 190 students took spring-term leaves of absence last year, and Whitlock said that if this "increasing trend" is allowed to continue, it will aggrevate the expected housing crisis next fall.

"Whether students want four people in a double next fall or some students to take leaves of absences is the choice. Some trade-offs must be made," he said.

Robert J. Ginn, senior tutor in Quincy House, said yesterday, "If there are any alternatives for easing the housing situation, I don't want to go in the direction" of limiting leaves.

Alternatives that the board has discussed include a spring-semester exchange program with students from other colleges, and the mid-year acceptance of transfer students.

Transfers Less Acceptable

But the increased admissions to the college and the resulting housing crisis make an exchange or transfer program less acceptable than restriction on leaves, Whitlock said.

Anthony J. Arlotto, senior tutor in Winthrop House, said he does not expect too much opposition to the proposal because students would still be able to take the one semester off.

Whitlock said, however, that the elimination of spring leave would not result in many more students taking fall leaves of absence.

"The psychological factors are different. Students who have spent a summer working or traveling have a tendency to want to return to school," Whitlock explained. "It's different after a semester at school."

He added that some tutors, for "equity reasons," favor the elimination of all one-term leaves.

Whitlock said that he has asked the senior tutors to guage student reaction to the proposal to end spring-term leaves.