Harvard maintains what appears to be a controversial distinction from institutions such as Yale and Princeton--unlike those schools, Harvard College awards its degrees printed in English, rather than the classical Latin. A recent proposal of the Undergraduate Council seeks to change that.

Council Representatives C. Thomas Brown '98 and Eric M. Nelson '99, a Crimson editor, introduced a bill at the council meeting on Sunday, Dec. 7, which called for Harvard College to return to using Latin in its degree certificates.

That bill passed by a vote of 32 to 15.

Before 1961, Harvard degrees were, in fact, in Latin. In that year, under the direction of President Nathan M. Pusey '28, the switch was made to English.

"President Pusey deprived Harvard College of the great tradition of having diplomas in Latin," Brown said on the council floor.

Supporters of the bill pointed to the long tradition of Latin at Harvard College and emphasized its status as a "scholarly language."

"Latin is a tradition that connects all universities," Nelson said. "The intent [of the bill] is to restore a rich and beautiful tradition that [prior to 1961] was intact at this institution."

Sterling P. A. Darling '01 said "I feel Latin, as a language, is very important to Harvard...[and] I see the connections to academic history that come with having the diplomas in Latin."

But other council members, also supporting the bill, argued that something else was at stake--the way the Harvard degree would look hanging on their office walls.

A minority of council members expressed concern about the message that was being sent by the council in calling for a return to Latin.

Diana L. Adair '98, chair of the Student Affairs Committee, described the proposal as "classist."

"I feel strongly that [this bill] raises concerns about classism," she said. Speaking on the council floor on Sunday, Adair stated, "This is an imperialistic attempt to take over the world."

Matthew S. Caywood '98 called the bill elitist.

"We're taking a step backwards from the use of English, our common language, to a language of elitism," he said.

"Latin is the heritage of the 'prep-schoolers."'