Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 said the change only reflects reasonable expectations of language proficiency.

"If you can't get higher than a 3 on an AP test and you can't get a 600 on an SAT II and you can't pass the Harvard language placement test, I think it's fair to conclude that you really don't know the language well enough to be exempt from taking a course," he wrote in an e-mail message.

"In general I think that it's a good idea to raise the bar somewhat," said Dillon Professor of the Civilization of France Susan R. Suleiman. "Unlike many other universities, we only have one year of language requirements, and that means that the competency we're looking for to go out of the language requirement should be fairly good."

In other business, the Faculty Council approved a proposal to allow undergraduates to earn credit at Wellesley College toward their elementary education certification. Wellesley classes are open to both men and women, though only women can receive a degree from the college.

Currently, students can only receive certification for middle and high school level teaching through the Graduate School of Education (GSE). The GSE does not offer the courses necessary to receive elementary school certification.

Secretary of the Faculty John B. Fox Jr. '59 also gave the Council Harvard baseballs at this, their last regular meeting of the year, as a token of appreciation for their work during the past year