The Economics Department which received a 2.45 out of 5 for overall satisfaction in 1997 received a 2.38 out of five this year, still more than half a point below the 3.19 overall mean.

The department was ranked 39th out of 40 concentrations.

Assistant Professor of Economics and Head Tutor Christopher L. Foote, attributed this to the size of the department.

"We've got hundreds of concentrators and its the mentoring resources that are being stretched thin," Foote said.

Foote said the Economics department has tried to increase convenience and accuracy in advising at the expense of mentoring relationships.

According to Foote, the department has a "small number of graduate students intensely trained and familiar with the requirements" sign study cards.

Foote said it is difficult to implement policies that will help establish relationships between students and Faculty members if professors do not sign study cards.

"I would not be surprised if a lot of students felt the economics department was large and impersonal," he said. "But the Economics department has moved on one end of the spectrum making things as convenient as possible, but to make things more intimate you would lose the convenience."