Major, Minor Sports Retain Classifications

The Undergraduate athletic Council has voted to retain the present major-minor sports classifications. The group also drew up a definite set of distinctions between major and minor sports in approving a report designating criteria for major sports awards.

Frank H. White '55, chairman of the council and co-author of the report, explained that the action was designed to establish a convenient, flexible standard for the Council to decide whether a particular sports merits major status.

The Council thereby rejected any policy similar to that of Columbia and Princeton, in which all distinctions have been abolished, and all the sports made equal. "We couldn't see putting pistol on the same level as football, for example," White commented.

A minimum of participation was stressed by reports for minor sports seeking to advance into the major category. Training rules, expected attendence at organized practices, amount of time involved, and the number of competitors for positions are all important criteria, the report indicated. Spectator interest must also be considered, it said.

To make all major "H" awards as equal as possible, the standards for letter awards must be comparable in rigidity to those of the present major sports, the report stated.

University, Not Self

The University's relation to the sport must also be considered, the report said. Since the "H" indicates outstanding performance in Harvard athletics, an individual should be competing primarily in the name of the University rather than in his own. The financial distinction among the sports made by the H.A.A. is another important factor, the report added.