History 10 Proposal Delayed

To the disappointment of the Undergraduate Council, the Standing Committee on the Core Program will not discuss a proposal to change History 10, "Western Society, Politics, and Cultures," into a core class at its meeting next Tuesday.

The plan, which members of the history department have been developing since last year, was scheduled to be discussed at a meeting of the Historical Study B subcommittee yesterday. But the meeting was rescheduled for December 14 due to a "bureaucratic mix-up," said Professor of History James Hankins.

Had it passed at the subcommittee level, the proposal would have been up for a vote at the core standing committee meeting next week, Director of the Core Program Susan W. Lewis said yesterday.

Because of the rescheduling of yesterday's meeting, the proposal will probably now be discussed in the core standing committee at the end of February, Hankins said. If approved, it could go into effect as early as the 1995-96 academic year.

Some professors and members of the core committee oppose changing the status of History 10 because they do not believe surveys belong in the core.

One month ago, the Undergraduate Council passed a resolution supporting the inclusion of History 10 in the core. Over the past few weeks, several council members have lobbied the history department and the core committee.

Council president David L. Hanselman '94-'95 said the council would continue to be "proactive" on the issue.

"I'm a little disappointed that the History 10 proposal won't be on the docket for next week, but I do look forward to a discussion at the next full core committee meeting," Hanselman said.

He added that student support for the proposal is strong.

"An overwhelming majority of the students really want to see this proposal passed by next year," Hanselman said. "That was why I was a little concerned that this won't get on the docket for next week, because the longer the core committee puts it off, the less is the likelihood that it will be implemented for next year."

Justin C. Label '97, chair of the council student affairs committee, said he was also disappointed that the proposal will not be discussed this month but remains hopeful for the future.

"I'm sure that Dean Knowles understands how interested the vast majority of the students are in having the spirit of the proposal pass," Label said. "We look forward to working with him and the other members of the core committee from now until next February. We feel pretty confident that this is going to pass."