Faculty May Vote to Grant Freshman Reading Period

Some courses regularly open to freshmen may begin to observe reading period, if, at its meeting tomorrow afternoon, the Faculty passes a proposal approved by the Committee on Educational Policy.

The motion provides "that the privilege of observing the reading period be extended to all courses of instruction at the pleasure of the department or committee concerned."

This would overturn the ruling, voted by the Faculty in 1927, which requires courses regularly open to freshmen to continue to meet during the last two weeks before examinations. It would not necessarily affect those upper-level science courses which do not observe the reading period.

CEP Vote

When this measure came before the CEP, all of the seven members present voted in favor of its adoption.

Other proposals which the Faculty will consider include a motion to exempt the Department of Biology from the rule requiring programs of concentration to include at least four courses in one department.

According to a statement by Carroll M. Williams, professor of Zoology, this exemption is necessary to allow the department to develop a program which will approach biology using the concepts taught in chemistry, physics, and mathematics courses.

There are currently two approaches to the study of biology, according to the statement: the traditional approach which considers the "full-fledged organism" as a member of a species, and a more recently developed method which applies the techniques developed in the other sciences to biological subjects.

Since these two approaches can no longer be combined in one program, according to Williams, the revision of concentration requirements will enable the department to plan programs including the necessary courses in the other sciences.

"A sound preparation for this analytical approach to Biology requires substantial training in the allied sciences," wrote Williams. "In the formulation of this alternative plan for concentration, the required course credits in Biology have been reduced so that appropriate programs can be shaped for individual students."