Masters Tell of Decrease In Fall Seminar Offerings

Only 17 House seminars are scheduled for the Fall Term instead of the 30 offered last year. Eliot and Winthrop Houses have so far planned no seminars at all.

Benjamin W. Labaree, Allston Burr Senior Tutor of Winthrop House, in explaining the sharp cut-back in House seminars, maintained that "there just is not enough demand for them." He stated that people just couldn't seem to find time for the seminars. In addition, those that do start out in a seminar often leave when they find that some reading is required to discuss the topic intelligently. Labaree also claimed that since the Faculty vote instituting non-Honors tutorial last spring seminars are no longer relevant to their original purpose.

John H. Finley, Jr. '25, Master of Eliot House, also reported lack of interest in seminars. Claiming "it is not at all exciting to do paperwork for three or four fellows." Finley suggested two alternatives to the current "half-hearted" program:

1. "Let undergraduates invite prominent people they know to dinner, and pay travel expenses for such guests from seminar funds."

2. Offer House seminars for credit.

Credit Seminars Unnecessary

Ernest R. May, Senior Tutor of Kirkland House, contended that House seminars for credit "will not fulfill any need." Non-Honors students should not be coaxed into seminars, he said. "If a student wishes to avoid contact with Faculty members, he should be free to do so."

Some opinion in favor of House seminars was expressed by Paul E. Sigmund, Jr. Allston Burr Senior Tutor of Quincy Mouse. Sigmund held that the seminar program had been quite successful and remarked that Quincy House was offering one more seminar than it did last fall. He agreed that "inviting prominent guests is a good idea," and mentioned that Quincy had almost a dozen House guests last year.