CUE Discussion May Lead to Tightened Rules for Pass/Fail

The students-faculty Committee on Under-graduate Education (CUE) yesterday discussed restricting the number of courses students in the College may take powerful.

CUE and advisory group to the Faculty examined data from the 1981-82 academic year on how frequently students enter pass/fail courses. Their examination of the option followed a discussion of pass/fail as a Faculty meeting on November 8.

The committee's eventual recommendation will go before the Faculty Council and could bring about changes in the College's rules.

Present rules require students to take 21 half-courses for letter grade allowing for a maximum 11 courses to be graded pass/fail.

In yesterday's meeting members of the committee hypothesized that students often use the pass fail option in courses within them area of concentration and in large survey courses rather than unusual electives

"Pass fail was originally instituted so that students could take course out of their area of concentration," explained Sidney Verbs 53 associate dean of the Faculty for under-graduate education and chairman of the committee. "It gives them the chance to take something unusual and take risks."

Verba said that while many students do take courses pass fail for such reasons others take them merely as "program lighters.

The data indicates that most pass fail courses fall within student general area concentration. Therefore," said Verba "one of the leading arguments for pass fail doesn't to seem to support it.

It's so difficult to come to a decision based on students motivation," he added "They are both experimenting and thinking of their grade point average at the same time.

Student members of the committee mentioned the resolution of the Undergraduate Council that no changes be made in the rules. The add shows however, that few students take more than-five courses pass fail during their four years.