As the faculty ruling is interpreted by these departments, Honors Juniors and Seniors, and in some instances selected Sophomores, participate in tutorial work. A composite estimate of those receiving tutorial reveals a 30 percent total.
The situation in the Government Department, possessor of the largest undergraduate enrollment in the college, is perhaps most typical. While expressing its "desire to resume tutorial at the full level permitted by the faculty vote at the earliest possible date," Merle Fainsod, Chairman, pointed out that, tutorial or no tutorial, the Government Department shares the manpower difficulties facing men in all fields.
Personnel Problem
"The problem of finding competent personnel to discharge tutorial functions in the past year has not been an easy one," he related. But he is confident that next year and the following one, conditions will definitely improve.
In line with this belief, the Department in planning next year's budget on the assumption that it will be able to tutor approximately 300 students out of a total Harvard--Radcliffe concentration of 800. This will be a definite advance over the present total of 208 who are tutored and 496 advised.
Also in the field of the Social Sciences, Chairman David Owen of the History Department pointed to the fact that, with the exception of Sophomores, his department tutors to the full extent permitted by the faculty vote. Unlike other departments, History "does not anticipate difficulty in finding competent young men to fill tutorial vacancies."
Romance Languages
Away from the Social Studies, the Romance Language Department faces problems similar to those in Government. Here, under a newly-broadened policy, all candidates for honors in their Junior and Senior Years who do not fall below Group IV for more than two successive terms, are eligible.
Chairman William Berries pointed out, moreover, that many members of the professorial ranks have on numerous occasions taken tutees on a voluntary basis. But despite this, and regular tutorial, he wrote that "we have had difficulty finding staff members experienced in tutoring; personnel scarcities continue to offer a discouraging obstacle to adequate coverage for both instruction and/or tutorial, but we hope for relief before long.
A problem peculiar to his special field, Professor Berrien continued, is the difficulty of securing sufficient personnel even for the course offerings in the field. But a problem definitely not peculiar to Romance Languages is "the lack of interest on the part of the students themselves in undertaking any additional activity requiring time or attention on their part."
Falling into a somewhat special class is the Music Department which, though it does not offer tutorial, does present concentrators with a chance to study "basic piano," if they do not possess any training, as it is almost identical with the studies formerly undertaken by Juniors and Sophomores.
Once a student is able to meet the basic requirement, he is given advising, similar in nature to that given Freshman, unless he is an honors senior, in which case he will get regular tutorial in the old sense.