Core Office Raises Limit On Sections

Students in Core classes will face more crowded sections this year due to an increase in section size mandated by the Office on Core Curriculum.

The Core Office has officially raised the minimum section size for all Core classes from 15 to 17 students, in an effort to cut costs for the 1992-93 school year, said University officials.

According to Susan W. Lewis, director of the Core, the new size limit is actually an attempt to bring the Core into compliance with official University policy on section size. "There has been a policy in effect for two or three years that the [minimum] section size be 20," said Lewis.

The guideline has thus for not been strictly enforced. and Lewis said there are no plans to increase the working minimum to the official figure of 20 any time soon.

Jeffrey Wolcowitz, assistant dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences for undergraduate and Sciences for undergraduate education, said the stricter enforcement is part of an attempt to cut overall academic costs and denied that it reflects a radicalchange in University policy.

"We told the Core that they have had smallersections than mandated by guidelines for severalyears," Wolcowitz said. "We have taken steps tomake them comply with spending guidelines. Thereis nothing new about central policy about sectionsize."

Whether central policy has shifted or not, Coreprofessors and teaching fellows said they havedefinitely noticed an upward trend in section sizethis year.

"This year, as of right now, we have 609students and 35 sections," Catherine E. Slanski,head teaching fellow for the ever-popularLiterature and Arts C-14, "The Concept of the Heroin Greek Civilization."

Jones Professor of Classical Greek LiteratureGregory Nagy, who teaches the course, said hehopes for an eventual return to the 15-studentminimum. His course's section is currentlyaveraging 18 students.

"Every extra person makes a difference in asection. You can tell the difference between 15and 17. That's not a complaint--it's a fact," hesaid.

Nat Lewis, a teaching fellow for Literature &Arts A-66, "Myth of America," said, "Harvardstudents are paying a lot for their education, andare getting short-changed by this."

Students are not the only ones who will be hardhit by the new policy. Professor of GermanicPhilology Eckehard Simon, who teaches Literatureand Arts C-43, "The Medieval Court," said he isalso concerned about his teaching fellows'now-heavier workload.

"These graduate students are depending onincome from teaching. The increase in studentsmeans extra papers, extra exams for them tograde," Simon said. "This means slightly more workfor the same amount of money."

But for some, the measure is the lesser of twoevils. Pam Metz, head TF for Historical StudiesA-12, "International Conflicts in the ModernWorld," said slightly larger sections is betterthan reducing teaching fellow salaries.

"I think the increase as it stands now ismanageable," said Metz. "I would be concerned,however, if it rose any higher than that.

"We told the Core that they have had smallersections than mandated by guidelines for severalyears," Wolcowitz said. "We have taken steps tomake them comply with spending guidelines. Thereis nothing new about central policy about sectionsize."

Whether central policy has shifted or not, Coreprofessors and teaching fellows said they havedefinitely noticed an upward trend in section sizethis year.

"This year, as of right now, we have 609students and 35 sections," Catherine E. Slanski,head teaching fellow for the ever-popularLiterature and Arts C-14, "The Concept of the Heroin Greek Civilization."

Jones Professor of Classical Greek LiteratureGregory Nagy, who teaches the course, said hehopes for an eventual return to the 15-studentminimum. His course's section is currentlyaveraging 18 students.

"Every extra person makes a difference in asection. You can tell the difference between 15and 17. That's not a complaint--it's a fact," hesaid.

Nat Lewis, a teaching fellow for Literature &Arts A-66, "Myth of America," said, "Harvardstudents are paying a lot for their education, andare getting short-changed by this."

Students are not the only ones who will be hardhit by the new policy. Professor of GermanicPhilology Eckehard Simon, who teaches Literatureand Arts C-43, "The Medieval Court," said he isalso concerned about his teaching fellows'now-heavier workload.

"These graduate students are depending onincome from teaching. The increase in studentsmeans extra papers, extra exams for them tograde," Simon said. "This means slightly more workfor the same amount of money."

But for some, the measure is the lesser of twoevils. Pam Metz, head TF for Historical StudiesA-12, "International Conflicts in the ModernWorld," said slightly larger sections is betterthan reducing teaching fellow salaries.

"I think the increase as it stands now ismanageable," said Metz. "I would be concerned,however, if it rose any higher than that.