Rejected Students Complain About Foreign Cultures 62 Lottery Policy

When it comes to popular Core classes, the theme this fall seems to be lotteries.

While lotteries have become a frequent phenomenon in the Core, students have been especially critical of the recent lottery for Foreign Cultures 62, "Chinese Family, Marriage, and Kinship."

But officials at the Office of the Core defended the lottery and insisted that some of the students' allegations are false.

Many students expressed concern that the lottery did not give enough preference to juniors and seniors seeking Core credit.

Jobe G. Danganan '99, who was lotteried out of the course, said it was "totally irrational that seniors weren't given preferences, especially since most seniors wait until their last year to take Foreign Cultures."

Danganan said he blamed the Office of the Core for the lottery decisions, not the professor.

Alden J. McDonald III '99 was also lotteried out of the course. He complained about the lack of preferences for seniors and said "too many core classes were lotteried this semester."

But according to Associate Director of the Core Program Elisabeth W. Swain '63, seniors were in fact given some preference in the lottery.

She said because seniors complained so much about the procedure, a few more were admitted to the class.

Swain explained the goal of the course was to take an equal number of students from each class. Addressing concerns that an unusually high number of anthropology concentrators are enrolled in the course, Swain said "to the best of my knowledge no preference was given to anthropology concentrators."

Foreign Cultures 62 fulfills both concentration and core requirements for anthropology concentrators.

Director of the Core Program Susan W. Lewis said the Core requires anthropology concentrators to take Foreign Cultures because none of the concentrators study modern foreign cultures and some do not study foreign cultures at all.

Swaid said that students who did not need core credit were not admitted, and that if all anthropology concentrators who lotteried were admitted, it was accidental.

Course instructor James L. Watson, Fairbank Professor of Chinese Society, said every effort was made to ensure that a diverse group of students were enrolled in the course.

"It's no fun having sections with everyone who has the same views...It's no fun at all," he said.