Advertisement

Preregistration Edges Towards Faculty Vote

Thus, if the proposal is passed, starting with the spring 2004 semester, shopping period as it has previously existed will no longer occur.

Rather, during the first week of classes, a “liberal add/drop policy” will be in place, allowing students to make decisions about schedule changes based on classes they attend that week—without incurring any fees.

They will, however, need the signatures of instructors whose courses they are adding, as well as those of their freshman or concentration advisers.

Even if the switch to preregistration does happen, Gross noted, it would not necessarily be a permanent policy change, since it would be reviewed and evaluated over the course of the next three to five years.

Also at yesterday’s meeting, CUE member Alex B. Patterson ’02-’03 formally proposed an extension of the deadline for dropping courses—now the fifth Monday of the term. CUE members discussed making the drop period two weeks longer.

Advertisement

But even with those changes, the last date for adding courses would remain the same, raising concerns that students would not be able to take full courseloads should they choose to drop a class late.

Patterson’s proposal will go before the Faculty Council to be further discussed and possibly reworked. The full Faculty may then discuss the reworked proposal at an unspecified later date.

Gross said yesterday he liked the flexibility Patterson’s proposal would give students.

“We want to be experimental about it,” said Gross. “We want to give them those extra two weeks to play around with [their schedules].”

—Staff writer Laura L. Krug can be reached at krug@fas.harvard.edu.

Advertisement