Several members of the Faculty endorsed yesterday the addition of a quantitative reasoning requirement to the Core at a dicussion on Core reform yesterday.

But James T. Engell '73, professor of English and comparative literature, told the Faculty it would be unwise to introduce any legislation regarding the Core at next month's meeting because there was too much disagreement about other issues raised in the working paper of the Core Review Committee.

According to William Paul, Mallinckrodt professor of applied physics and professor of physics, there probably will not be a vote on the Core this term.

If the decision is not made by the end of this school year, then incoming first-years will not be affected by the proposed changes.

"I am 100 percent certain that there will be no vote taken at the next faculty meeting," said Paul, who is also on the Faculty Council. "There was a good deal more criticism of the Core than might have been expected."

Paul said he would be surprised and disappointed if legislation on the Core were brought to the next meeting.

"This is the one chance we have to change it," he said. "We mustn't muff it. This discussion I expect will go on into the fall."

Sidney Verba '53, Pforzheimer University professor and chair of the Core Review Committee, also said it is unlikely that legislation will be brought to the next meeting.

The debate--which lasted more than two hours yesterday--centered on two questions: whether the number of required Core fields should be reduced from eight to seven, and whether students ought to be allowed to bypass some Core requirements with departmental courses.

Verba said the committee supported the addition of a quantitative reasoning requirement and a reduction in the number of required fields.

He added that the members of the committee are against departmental bypasses because they believe that Core classes focus more on certain methodologies than do departmental classes, which are geared toward concentrators.

"In a departmental course, one does biology or economics or literary analysis," the working paper reads. "In a Core course...one considers more self-consciously how one is doing it and why."

Some Faculty members disagreed.

William H. Bossert '59, Arnold professor of science, said he does not think there is a difference between Core and departmental classes.

"The special areas have no magic for me," he said. "The special nature of the courses escapes me."

Bossert proposed an alternative to the Core, in which students would major in one field and minor in two others. The minor would consist of taking three or four courses from the regular departmental offerings in those fields.