History Dept. Approves New Honors Proposal

The History Department has approved "Within certain modifications" the Faculty proposal to alter the Honors-non-Honors distinction and change the requirements for the cum laude degree in General Studies. The Department, largest in undergraduate enrollment, is the first to announce general endorsement of the plan.

Robert L. Wolff '36, Chairman of the Department, said that he and most members of the staff found the proposal "reasonably practical." Under the plan, suggested by Richard T. Gill '48, Senior Tutor of Leverett House, all students would be eligible for tutorial; and Honors students would be distinguished from non-Honors students only at the completion of all College work. Students who have 11 1/2 Honor grades could also be graduated with cum laude in General Studies, without the permission of a Department.

At its regular weekly meeting last Thursday, the History staff chiefly discussed he possibility that the change would necessitate addition of several tutors. According to Wolff, the consensus of the Department was that any increase in personnel, if needed at all, could be handled.

Bernard Ballyn, associate professor of History and Head Tutor, said yesterday that he presented at the meeting "a guess" that there would be neither a great" that there would be neither a great increase nor decrease in the number of students taking History tutorial under the new plan. Dean Monro, instrumental in the new legislation, has said that the number of students changing into tutorial would probably cancel out the number of those who would prefer to avoid tutorial and thesis work to seek the Honors degree in General Studies.

Additional discussion at the Departmental meeting reportedly centered on the possibility that a student who, in the opinion of his tutor, was not qualified to take tutorial and write a thesis could not be prohibited from doing so.

Mason Hammond '25, Pope Professor of the Latin Language and Literature, was said to have certain reservations about the new proposal. Reached yesterday, Hammond did not elaborate on any objections he might have had, but said that he thought that the Gill program would be approved by the Faculty. The Faculty postponed action on the plan earlier so that the Departments could discuss it.

A rumored move to revive the old History 1 course was not discussed at the meeting.