Faculty Will Probably Not Vote Tuesday On Pass-Fail Proposal

The Faculty is almost certain not to vote immediate approval of the fourth-course pass-fail plan at its meeting next Tuesday.

Bruce Chalmers, Gordon McKay Professor of Metallurgy and Master or Winthrop House, and Dean Ford will introduce the proposal the CEP approved November 22 which could allow students to take on of their four courses ungraded starting next fall. But Ford said yesterday that he doesn't anticipate a Faculty vote on the pass-fail question until January at the earliest.

"Only if there is a strong faculty sentiment against the proposal and they want to vote it down, will there be any action," Edward T. Wilco, secretary of the CEP, said yesterday. "This will be the first time most of the faculty will have heard the pass-fail proposal officially. We want to let them discuss it in their departments before asking for a vote. The sense of the Faculty may be that pass-fail is OK as long as it doesn't count."

Wilcox explained that he was sure some "theory of limits" will be applied to the pass-fail option. The CEP proposal allows each department to decide whether students in that field can count pass-fail courses toward degree requirements. He hopes that most departments will allow students to take one or two pass-fail courses which count toward concentration.

Wilcox, who is chairman of the Committee on General Education, has recommended that students be allowed to take one of their three basic Gen Ed courses pass-fail and one of the middle-level courses required for distribution.

Explanatory Note

The CEP proposal goes to the Faculty with an explanatory note from Wilcox, saying that instructors will be able to exclude pass-fail students from their courses if they choose.

The pass-fail plan will force departments to make special provisions for students who wants to change field.

Students won't be able to juggle pass-fail courses after the fourth Monday of the term.