Weary Professor of German and Comparative Literature Judith L. Ryan

pointed to the problem of hiring teaching fellows (TFs) as another reason to instate preregistration.

“It’s better to have the clear evidence of how many TFs you’re going to be using, to get them clued in ahead of time so they could work on the material,” said Ryan.

She recalled a law student that she once was forced to hire at the last minute for her class on author Franz Kafka. She said that although he knew the material very well, he’d simply had no previous experience with teaching.

Abby E. Carruthers ’04 suggested a compromise—instituting a preregistration system of sorts, with students signing up for classes ahead of time but still having a full week and a half to shop at the beginning of each semester. In contrast, the proposal currently on the table would shorten shopping period to one week.

Carruthers worried that a more binding system would only mean more paperwork and bureaucracy for students if they needed to make changes in their schedules.

But Dean of Undergraduate Education Benedict H. Gross ’71 said he did not believe preregistration would mean the end of shopping period. “You’ll preregister for a number of courses; you’ll shop anything you want; there’ll be a very liberal add/drop period,” Gross said. “No one’s going to keep students out of classes.”

Gross said that with discussion of preregistration among the Faculty at large still in its infant stages, the petition would have different effects on different members of the Faculty.

He lauded students for their efforts in gathering support and said that the Undergraduate Council would have the opportunity to address the Faculty on preregistration if and when it is discussed at the meeting today.

Burgard predicted the petition might sway those members of the Faculty who are “on the fence” regarding the issue, though it would probably not change the minds of those who are in favor of preregistration now.

“[Shopping period] has become something of a sacred cow,” said Burgard. “I’m going to listen to the arguments and hope that some attention is paid to this pedagogical consideration that I think is the most important one.”

The petition has been delivered to Gross, University President Lawrence H. Summers, Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis ’68, Assistant Dean for Undergraduate Education Jeffrey Wolcowitz, Dean of Faculty William C. Kirby and Secretary of the Faculty John B. Fox Jr. ’59.

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