Faculty to Debate Size Of Freshman Class Today

The size of the College--one of the most important issues facing the Administration - will be discussed at the monthly Faculty meeting this afternoon.

Debate will center on a 37-year-old Faculty recommendation, limiting the entering freshman class to 1,000. This limit has been disregarded since World War II, as a result of additional housing facilities and the continuation of war-time crowding in suites, but will be brought up this afternoon for discussion and possible change.

At least two factors make an upward revision or elimination of the 1,000-man limit likely:

(1) The Program for Harvard College included three Freshman dormitories and two new Houses as additions to the physical plant; the dormitories and the equivalent of one new House have now been completed. Although these facilities could be used to permit complete deconversion of rooms, many of them could also be used for increased enrollment.

(2) The Administration has expressed a desire to enlarge the College somewhat, although a specific figure has not been mentioned. This desire may result in part from the recently increasing pressure on the Admissions Office.

Outline of Expansion

At the meeting, members of the Faculty will receive statistics outlining the expansion of the College since the end of the 19th century. For example, freshman enrollment since 1945 has averaged between 1,150 and 1,200--well above the limit set in 1923. The teaching staff has increased at a faster rate than the undergraduate body, however, so that some adjustment might be considered.

One upper limitation on the size of the freshman class, the number of dormitory rooms, already exists. The number of commuting students has been declining steadily since the late 1930's, and less than five per cent of the undergraduates are now associated with Dudley. Since Administration officials do not for-see an increased number of commuters, the size of the freshman class could rise only with new construction.

The Faculty will also consider a motion this afternoon that the Department of Geology and the Department of Mineralogy and Petrography be merged.