Bowersock's Shoes

WHEN GLEN W. BOWERSOCK '57, associate dean of the Faculty for undergraduate education, leaves in the fall, undergraduates will lose one of their most persistent and dedicated advocates within the administration.

During his three-year tenure as associate dean, Bowersock provided an accessible and sensitive ear for students' concerns. He was also a vocal champion of academic reform, most notably in the areas of drama courses for credit and tutorials.

We hope Sidney Verba '53, professor of Government, whom Dean Rosovsky recently selected to replace Bowersock, will offer the same kind of commitment to undergraduate issues. But Verba, who will be on sabbatical next year, does not take over as associate dean until 1981.

Rosovsky said recently he will probably ask several Faculty members to fill Bowersock's various posts, including chairing the Committee on Undergraduate Education, the Faculty Committee on Dramatics and the Committee on Expository Writing.

Filling positions is not quite enough, however. Bowersock said last week that "the only thing I'd like to see is someone to listen to students' complaints--a mechanism for channeling academic issues" into the administrative hierarchy.

We urge Rosovsky to heed that advice and fill the gap between Bowersock's departure and Verba's return with a temporary replacement who will act as a listening post and advocate for student's concerns. Issues like tutorial reforms, drama courses for credit, implementation of the Core Curriculum and study abroad are too important to be lost in a bureaucratic shuffle.