NAVY SCI AROUND

In past years when the sole use of Uncle Sam's fleet was as a movie locale, it was quite natural for Harvard's Naval Science to be a gentleman's course--a refuge for the major H and the broad A. But today the Navy is steaming full speed ahead, while both instructors and prospective ensigns at Harvard still are dragging anchor. Almost the only ones taking the work seriously are a few martinets who aspire to minor posts of command in the annual review. And recent attempts to improve esprit de corps via beery conviviality are a poor substitute for good classroom presentation of theory with subsequent practical application.

The lectures are read straight from the reading assignments--and occasional difficulties with polysyllabic words indicate that the lecturers as well as the lectured come to class pretty much unprepared. Not trained for pedagogical work, most instructors make no effort to add interest or insight to the mass of factual data of which seamanship consists. Effective presentation of those parts of the course given in Hunt Hall is additionally handicapped by poor acoustics and a scattered audience. And the exams make no effort to test application of knowledge by "what would you do with these facts" questions, but rather are invariably tests of detail memorization--except for the navigation problems, which an even higher percentage of prospective officers final. In fact, on the basis of November Hour navigation marks the majority of the Junior Class would run aground in Hawaii en route from Boston to New York.

Military Science has already cracked down. And Navy Sci at Northwestern and Michigan is far from a physical examination followed by four years of gentlemen's C's. True, Harvard has acquired better texts, increased trips to the Charlestown Navy Yard, and now requires the formerly optional summer cruises at the end of Freshman and Sophomore years. But, compared to other units and to other courses in the College, Navy Sci is still too much of its old self. Even Yale miserably outshot John Harvard on the U. S. S. Wyoming last summer. What with the pleasant prospect of taking an officer's commission while the rest of the boys get caught in the draft, so many are applying to the ROTC units that they can afford to be pretty picky in their selection and plenty stiff in their elimination. Herr Raeder's tars won't be impressed by a Harvard degree. So Johnnie had best get on his sea legs or else get off the boat.