But Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis '68 says that blaming everything on the fabled ratio is not acceptable.

"I don't like the pleas of despair," he says." There are lots of things people haven't tried."

If the Faculty has not been advising well until this point, Lewis asks, what evidence is there that hiring more Faculty members will accomplish anything?

"Some say we just need 10 more Faculty members," Lewis says, "but you have no confidence that that is where Faculty energy would go."

Some Faculty members, however, insist that the size of the department is a crucial factor.

"It really depends on what is meant by advising," Richardson wrote. " I believe that if what is meant by advising is mentoring then the explanation in large part lies in the student-faculty ratio."

"On the other hand, if what is meant by advising is simply notifying students of opportunities and requirements, providing adequate guidance on course selection and other issues pertaining to their concentration then I agree a low faculty-student ratio is no excuse for poor performance," she adds.