LIGHTENING THE LOAD

The plans of the History Department toward relieving tutors of undue burdens attack an abuse of long standing. Plans A and B, as operating at present, however, fall short of an ideal settlement. Carried to their logical conclusion, these schemes would develop into a complete division between men fit to receive tutorial instruction and those who are not.

Sophomores should receive full tutorial instruction, in all departments, as the new History plan advocates. Otherwise there would be no basis on which to decide a man's relative ability. At the end of the sophomore year, however, the various tutors, except in History and Literature, should divide students into two categories on a liberal basis, making every effort not to exclude from "Plan A", or full tutorial instruction, any who might conceivably be capable of advanced work. The remainder, consisting of less able students, would proceed under "Plan B", without any tutorial work whatever. Plan A men should be permitted to change to "Plan B" at will, but in the interest of conserving tutors' time, no movements in the other direction should be allowed. The difficulties with the History Department's proposition that men be allowed a free hand in choosing their categories are apparent. Many ambitious men of slight ability or inadequate preparation would select Plan A, only to find themselves unable to cope with such a difficult program.

Plan B men should be required to take an additional course to fill the tutorial gap, and this requirement should keep their work up to a sufficiently high level to warrant giving the same degree for both types of preparation. Owing to technical differences, however, separate general examinations should be given. As the Student Council Committee Report of 1931 suggested, the honor student's demands are best met by a "speculative" examination, while a "factual" one is better for the mediocre students. To suit both needs in a single examination is nearly impossible.

As matters now stand, tutors are overburdened with students, many of their tutees lack the interest and ability to gain by their efforts and expenditure of time. Yet the enlargement of the staff is financially impossible. The obvious solution is a discreet reduction of students working under the tutorial system based on careful observation of their ability during the crucial sophomore year.