Degree Status Vote Planned

A vote on whether the words "General Studies" should be removed from the Cum Laude in General Studies degree has been scheduled for May's Faculty Meeting, and is expected to succeed.

On Wednesday the faculty council put legislation on the docket for the May meeting that would eliminate the words that students and professors consider confusing and archaic, Secretary to the Faculty Council John B. Fox '59 said.

The council also discussed a draft copy of the report of the Committee on Ethnic Studies, a faculty committee which is chaired by Thomson Professor of Government Jorge I. Dominguez, Fox said.

Council and committee members declined to comment on the content of the report.

Additionally, Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles told council members that he will propose mechanisms for Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) professors to become more involved in monitoring how the University's central administration uses FAS funds.

Knowles' action is prompted by Coolidge Professor of History David S. Landes's comments at the February Faculty Meeting that FAS is subjected to taxation without representation from the central administration.

At the last council meeting two weeks ago, Landes and the council discussed what measures could be implemented.

Landes said professors' outrage over University changes to their benefits last fall was the most recent in a series of incidents showing FAS does not have control over how its money is spent.

The Standing Committee on Benefits was created this year by the Faculty to examine the changes. Its report, released yesterday, called for the Corporation to rescind one change it made and to delay another.

Fox said a Corporation subcommittee met with members of the standing committee Monday morning and that the Corporation will respond to their report within the next few weeks.

CLGS

A vote of the full faculty is required to pass the legislation, but as the faculty council unanimously endorsed such a move two weeks ago, its passage seems likely.

Current students would be able to request that the words "General Studies" appear on their degree by writing to the Registrar, but future students would not have this option.

Fox had expressed concern that removing the words and replacing them with the title of a student's concentration could reduce student's concentration could reduce students' incentive to opt for honors programs.

But the legislation does not add concentration titles to non-honors degrees, so Fox said there will be adequate incentive for students to graduate with honors in a field.

The council also spent half an hour discussing how Harvard will come into compliance with new National Science Foundation regulations that require strict measures to prevent science investigators from being awarded government grants that present a conflict of interest.