Rosovsky Announces Review Of Equal Access Admissions

A Committee to Review Equal Access will meet to study the implementation and effects of equal-access admissions adopted last year on the recommendation of the Strauch Report, Dean Rosovsky told the Faculty yesterday.

The committee, which will be chaired by Alberta Arthurs, dean of undergraduate affairs, will include five Faculty members, two alumni and three administrators of undergraduate affairs from other universities.

The Faculty held straw votes on several proposed changes in the standards for honors that could tighten requirements for summa and cum laude in general studies (CLGS) degrees.

They voted informally to accept the Committee on Honors' proposal to require standard grade point averages for summas and CLGS degrees, but decided not to demand an overall average for cum and magna candidates.

Before the vote, Jean Mayer, professor of Nutrition, told the Faculty he is "concerned about the fact that we are moving toward an automatic grade point average," because he said he fears students will find it "increasingly to their advantage to in effect repeat courses they have already done well in, rather than trying something new."

The Faculty almost unanimously accepted a motion to allow a student now cross-registered at MIT in a non-credit course in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) to continue the course, despite Faculty legislation that makes cross-registration at MIT to enroll in ROTC courses illegal.

Dean Rosovsky called the student "a victim of our administrative error," because he was allowed to enroll in the course before the legislation's meaning was clarified.

The student, who asked not to be identified, said Saturday he would have to go on four years of active duty in the air force in the motion did not pass.

The Faculty also discussed the possible formation of a committee to investigate possible alternatives to cross-registration at MIT for students wishing to enroll in ROTC courses. One alternative may be the development of a metropolitan ROTC center including students from several colleges, Rosovsky said.

President Bok announced the appointment of John W. Hastings, professor of Biology, as acting chairman of the Biology Department until next February.