Robert V. Pound, Mallinckrodt Professor of Physics, says he is not enthusiastic about rules and regulations and does not support a highly-organized curriculum. He seeks a maximum of flexibility and options and would like to see "lots of things people see as ingredients of the core curriculum as options for students."

At almost the opposite extreme is Robert Nozick, professor of Philosophy, who says he favors a "relatively specific" core curriculum, with particular courses that all students must take, including a battery of offerings on western civilization.

One member of the group who chooses to remain anonymous says that at present most of the group seems receptive to the idea of a core curriculum tighter than the current gen ed requirements. The only certainty, however, is that the members are a long way from unanimity.

Pedagogy

Some people have very definite ideas on what is wrong with Harvard. Robert D. Lee '78 is one of them. Lee thinks the most important issue before his group is the student-Faculty relationship, and he believes that the task force will resolve in favor of a warmer attitude on the part of the Faculty.

The force will also deal with some more specific issues: course size, the need for more seminars, the predominance of lectures, the inequity of varying opportunities between different departments, and the role of teaching fellows.

Educational Resources

In a time of financial austerity, it is especially necessary to evaluate one's resources and determine how best to make use of them, and those are the concerns of this task force. The group must consider financial and physical resources, as well as the range of art and athletic programs. Perhaps a more specific recommendation is one made by Rosovsky recently--favoring some redistribution of the numbers of faculty among the various departments.

Advising and Counseling

The present advisory system is in a shambles. No one knows this better than the student who has had a problem and has spent unsuccessful hours trying to determine whom to talk to. Lack of organization is only the first problem--beyond that comes the more complex issue of what kinds of advising to offer.

The task force seems to agree that there is a need for more accessible advisers and a less-confusing system. Both academic and non-academic counseling must be available for all undergraduates.

One possible solution the committee has discussed is to place all counseling in one organization, in order more easily to inform students of their options. The group is also considering the prospects of employing more graduate students for advisory purposes and of increasing career counseling opportunities other than in medicine and law.

Giles Constable '50, Lea Professor of Medieval History, suggests that the corollary of increased academic liberty is often confusion. He thinks many students today need a more structured system of advising, which he considers a superior way of dealing with confusion to decreasing freedoms.

"From the very rich menu Harvard offers, it is important for students to seek out aid, to help them deal with it. And students seem to feel they are not getting advice to get the most of the College," Constable says.

Because of the obvious disorder of the present system, committee members say they hope they will be able to present some concrete suggestions at an early date, and that these might be implemented.