Alteration in PT Program May Aid Working Students

Significant changes in the PT program, some of them the result of misunderstandings concerning the requirements for freshmen employed in term time jobs, are under consideration for next year, Dean von Stade said yesterday.

Von Stade hopes to make a definite decision before next year on the number of cuts allowed Freshmen who work more than nine hours per week.

Under a policy approved by the Administrative Board in March, 1958, any freshman who worked more than nine hours per week was automatically eligible for twelve extra PT outs during the year. The plan was attacked by Nathaniel A. Parker, Director of Physical Training, who opposed a blanket regulation because it provided as easy excuse for "kids who just don't like to exercise" to skip PT.

"Hardship Cases"

Last spring von Stade and Parker decided to abandon the decision of the Administrative Board and try "on an experimental basis" a new plan under which any student who found PT a "hardship" could appeal to the Dean's Office for relief.

The new plan was not publicly announced, and very few working Freshmen have been informed about their opportunity to appeal to the Dean. In addition, von Stade and the Assistant Deans have generally refused the requests of students who "find out through the grapevine" that they can appeal their cases to the Dean's Office.

Only Rare Exemptions

Van Stade feels that "circumstances which make PT a hardship are very rare." He said that not only the amount of time spent, but the nature of the job must be taken into consideration before granting a student extra cuts.

In addition to establishing a definite policy concerning working students, von Stade hopes to change the marking system under which every Freshman is given a grade ranging from A to E, depending on the number of classes he has missed.