Caring About Expos

To the Editors of The Crimson:

Having taught in the Expository Writing program for the past seven years, I cannot pass over in silence the regrettable, not to say shameful, decision to terminate Expository Writing 13 (Fiction).

Historically--and I speak from experience under four administrations--Expository Writing 13 is the finest writing course we offer. Admission is highly competitive. Standards are extraordinarily high. The quality of instruction is quite possibly the best in the program. If the truth were known, Fiction is probably the only Expos course the majority of students would elect to take of their own volition.

The reasons for this decision--I mean the real ones, not the ones dished up for public consumption--have not yet seen the light of day. Because I do not teach the fiction course, I possess no special knowledge of these matters. But I have reason to believe that there may well be a very interesting story here: a story in which professional jealousy, personal vendetta, career ambition and craven capitulation to bureaucratic politics have combined to deny freshmen the one writing course they really want to take.

I believe our community would profit from a closer look at this unfortunate decision. James Reed, Ph.D. '76   Teaching Assistant in Expository Writing   Harvard University