Faculty to Consider Proposal For Computer Sciences Major

The Faculty will this spring consider a proposal to establish a formal concentration in Computer Sciences. Officials said yesterday, however, that the new major would represent little more than a reorganization of current offerings.

Students who now want to focus their study on computers and programming must major in Applied Math or Engineering and Applied Sciences. A recent poll of students in those two concentrations revealed that a majority would choose the designation of Computer Sciences now under consideration, officials said.

Both existing majors fall within the Division of Applied Sciences, which would reorganize several of its course offerings in order to accommodate a distant third track of study, Paul C. Martin, dean of the Division, said.

"It's not a creation of something that doesn't exist in essence already," Martin added, explaining that many students who major in Applied Sciences "really think of themselves as computer scientists."

The proposed reorganization of department offerings was discussed yesterday at a meeting of the Committee on Undergraduate Education (CUE), a student-faculty group that advises administrators on a variety of issues.

Sidney Verba '53, associate dean for undergraduate education and chairman of CUE, said that the proposal would probably be considered within the next month by the Faculty Council--an influential executive body of senior Faculty members--before going to the full Faculty for approval later this spring.

Several CUE members expressed reservations about the formation of a separate Computer Sciences concentration, questioning whether the plan was merely a response to recent increases in popular interest about computers, as opposed to recognizing a legitimate academic field.

David Layzer '46, Menzel Professor of Astrophysics, said he was concerned about "creating a department for people to get by with less analysis," and that it "might encourage specialization."

"No one wants this to be a technical school concentration in computer programming," Verba said, adding, "it's got to have intellectual content."

But Martin, who was not at the meeting, said that the planned changes for Computer Science majors--including a shift in some current introductory courses and increased choice of related fields--would not cause a significant change in intellectual content.

Martin noted that interest in computer study has caused enrollment in the Division of Applied Sciences to double in the past decade. Currently there are about 300 concentrators in both Applied Math and Engineering and Applied Sciences.

In other business, CUE members discussed pass/fail grading options, which were recently brought into question by several proposals to revise the College's honor requirements. After citing statistics that appeared to disprove fears that the option was being abused by a significant portion of students, the Committee members agreed to recommend to the Faculty Council that the current pass/fail rules remain unchanged.