Although favored by a bare majority of the Student Council's Permanent Committee on Curriculum and Tenure, a report on the possibility of the establishment of a symmetrical three-term year at Harvard, was last night passed on to the Faculty without any other recommendation than that the present summer, session, if retained, should be extended to 14 weeks.
Based upon debates and votes in the committee, the report presented both sides of the question, but deferred any strong recommendation because the final vote was so nearly equal. Out of the 42 men who make up the committee, 21 Juniors and 21 Seniors, 55 per cent favored the three-term years.
Scientists in Favor
Although 65 per cent of the members concentrating in sciences or pre-medical work were in favor, only 35 per cent of the liberal arts majors voted for it, and while 63 per cent of those backing the program were in science, 56 per cent of the opponents were in liberal arts fields.
Particular emphasis was laid by the proponents of the plan on the problem confronting science concentrators who found the current summer session inadequate in the amount of laboratory work it could provide.
"Last summer was extremely unsatisfactory to students devoting most of their time to courses in the experimental sciences involving any great amount of lab work. . . The committee feels that the program of two, seven-week semesters will also prove unsatisfactory."
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