Faculty Expels Grad. Student

In a private vote that concluded the monthly faculty meeting last night, members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) passed a motion to dismiss a graduate student, according to Secretary of the Faculty John B. Fox.

Although faculty members declined to comment on the case, Dean of the College Archie C. Epps III said a dismissal usually results from the falsification of transcripts, or a misdeed of similar gravity.

Earlier in the meeting, faculty members raised the minimum academic standards for undergraduates and debated the health care benefits in their contracts with the University.

In addition, Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles said that decreasing section sizes was among the Faculty's priorities.

Minimum Academic Requirements Stiffened

The Faculty unanimously passed a motion made by Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 to toughen the definitions of "minimum academic requirements" and "satisfactory academic record."

Under the rules adopted yesterday, a student may have, at most, one failing grade, which may not be accompanied by a unsatisfactory grade, in order to meet the minimum academic requirements in any term.

The student is also required to have at least two satisfactory grades, one of which must be a letter grade in any FAS course.

To have a "satisfactory academic record," a student must have satisfactory grades in all courses, and at least one letter grade in an FAS course.

Formerly, to meet the minimum academic requirements, a student must have had at least one satisfactory letter grade and could not have had more than one failing grade. To have a "satisfactory academic record," a student was allowed to have at most one unsatisfactory grade and no failing grades.

In both the old and new system, any grade from "C-" and up is deemed "satisfactory."

The requirements for first-years in their first term in the College remains unchanged.

Faculty Demand Freedom of Choice in Health Care

Relating personal experiences, members of the Faculty debated the health care benefits in their contracts and demanded that they be allowed to have minor procedures done at University Health Services (UHS), regardless of their insurance provider.

Karel F. Liem, professor of biology and the master of Dunster House, told his colleagues that he recently underwent bypass surgery. He now requires a weekly blood test in Boston because the health care program he chose in his contract with the University does not include UHS services.

Liem said it takes him an entire morning each time he commutes back and forth to Boston for the test.

"I want to have immediate access to the best hospitals," he said in an interview, explaining why he chose his health care program. "But when it comes to a simple blood test, I would like to have the opportunity to have that at UHS."

In a letter sent to University Provost Albert Carnesale last week, another professor expressed concern about limits on freedom of choice. "It seems to me plain ridiculous for the University's own health facilities not to be available to the University's own faculty and staff on terms such as other plans seem to be able to offer," wrote Anthony G. Oettinger, McKay Professor of Applied Mathematics and Professor of Information Resources Policy in the letter.

Reducing Section Sizes a Priority

Summarizing his annual budget letter to the Faculty, Knowles said he is not concerned that the Faculty's deficit of one million dollars last year grew from the previous year.

He said that creating new faculty positions and expanding information technology are also among the Faculty's priorities. The issue of section sizes will be taken up by the resources committee in the near future, he said.

--Erwin R. Rosinberg contributed to the reporting of this story.

Karel F. Liem, professor of biology and the master of Dunster House, told his colleagues that he recently underwent bypass surgery. He now requires a weekly blood test in Boston because the health care program he chose in his contract with the University does not include UHS services.

Liem said it takes him an entire morning each time he commutes back and forth to Boston for the test.

"I want to have immediate access to the best hospitals," he said in an interview, explaining why he chose his health care program. "But when it comes to a simple blood test, I would like to have the opportunity to have that at UHS."

In a letter sent to University Provost Albert Carnesale last week, another professor expressed concern about limits on freedom of choice. "It seems to me plain ridiculous for the University's own health facilities not to be available to the University's own faculty and staff on terms such as other plans seem to be able to offer," wrote Anthony G. Oettinger, McKay Professor of Applied Mathematics and Professor of Information Resources Policy in the letter.

Reducing Section Sizes a Priority

Summarizing his annual budget letter to the Faculty, Knowles said he is not concerned that the Faculty's deficit of one million dollars last year grew from the previous year.

He said that creating new faculty positions and expanding information technology are also among the Faculty's priorities. The issue of section sizes will be taken up by the resources committee in the near future, he said.

--Erwin R. Rosinberg contributed to the reporting of this story.