Students Hail Gen. Ed. After One Year Test

Two-thirds of the undergraduates queried in a Student Council poll agreed that General Education courses were "better than most" but almost 50 percent opposed any compulsory General Ed program, according to results released last night.

The Council inquiry, prepared under the direction of Paul B. Coggins '45, was conducted last month by the Committee on Curriculum and Tenure. Students polled were enrolled in the Natural Sciences, Social Sciences, and Humanities courses.

"Many students held that the excellence of the lectures was chiefly responsible for the success of the courses," Committee co-chairman John W. McNulty '48 said last night.

80 Percent Interrogated

The survey reached 80 percent of undergraduates taking General Ed courses. Forty-two percent of them judged that the program had "very definitely" lived up to their idea of "what a General Education course should be," while 37 percent replied "fairly well."

Widely varied opinions were tabulated on the value and method of conducting section meetings, McNulty said. But nearly half of the students stated that General Education courses were "more worthwhile for the time spent" than any others.

The majority of men polled answered that they spent from two to six hours per week preparing General Ed assignments and that other courses required more of their time.

Lectures Rated Highly

A fear that the new program would be hindered by a preponderance of vague generalities was not borne out by the survey, McNulty said. Lectures were clear and offered a good basis for note-taking.

The stress laid by General Education upon essays was largely approved by undergraduates in the program. Over a third felt that essays should be substituted for all hour exams.

A final report on this General Education poll is now in preparation, McNulty said, and will be distributed to the faculty early in June. Undergraduates will receive a similar report next fall.