Faculty Votes To Ease Study Abroad Rules

The Faculty voted unanimously to approve two significant policy changes yesterday that will drastically simplify studying abroad and require some evidence for the Administrative Board to investigate peer disputes, including sexual assault.

Starting in the fall, the study abroad process will be streamlined, with a list of approved programs and a loosening of language requirements for students interested in foreign study.

With yesterday’s vote, the Faculty expressed an unprecedented degree of support for study abroad.

“A significant experience in a foreign country and culture should be viewed as an invaluable part of a Harvard education for all Harvard College students,” the proposal read.

The changes approved yesterday will create a “two-track system” for petitioning to study abroad. Students may either continue to develop their own plans of study or simply choose from a list of approved programs.

Currently, there is no official list of programs that will automatically earn a student course credit.

In another effort to simplify the process, students will no longer be required to take a year of classes in their host country’s language before going abroad.

Once abroad, however, they must take either one course in the language of the host country or one course on that language that is taught in English.

But the Faculty said this requirement could be waived for certain special circumstances.

The vote of approval capped a year-long effort by the Faculty to facilitate foreign study opportunities for students.

In the fall, the Faculty commissioned James T. Grimmelmann ’99 to produce a report examining the state of study abroad at Harvard.

As a result, the Faculty’s Standing Committee on Study Out of Residence was charged with shaping a set of recommendations for revamping Harvard’s study abroad system. The Committee on Undergraduate Education (CUE), the Educational Policy Committee and the Faculty Council used those recommendations to craft the legislation approved yesterday.

Rohit Chopra ’04, one of the students members of CUE, told the Faculty at yesterday’s meeting that changing policy is only the first step in making study abroad a more attractive option to students.

“It is critical that this strong support turn into significant conversation and even debate within departments of how studying abroad will most contribute to the overall intellectual experience of their concentrators,” Chopra said.

The Committee on Study Out of Residence will work this summer to implement the changes approved yesterday.

Also at yesterday’s meeting, the Faculty approved a significant change in the way the Administrative Board handles cases of peer dispute—limiting the cases the Ad Board investigates to ones where complaints are backed by other evidence.

This policy will affect allegations of sexual assault where students cannot provide any evidence other than their claim that they were assaulted.

Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis ’68, who presented the proposal at the Faculty meeting, said it would eliminate lengthy investigations with no result.

“If it can be determined in advance that there will not be enough evidence to resolve a contested case, it would not only put both students through an unnecessarily long and painful process, but would really be setting up expectations that could not be fulfilled, if the Board were to pursue the investigation,” Lewis wrote in an e-mail.

Sarah B. Levit-Shore ’04, a leader of Core Curriculum and the curriculum in general.

Greer said she felt one of the most important aspects of yesterday’s meeting was that it had occurred at all.

“Overall, I think the most positive aspect was that it was the first time that students had formal channel to an administrative decision,” Greer said. “Hopefully this will be the first step in many.”

Rohit Chopra ’04, who chairs the council’s Student Affairs Committee and attended yesterday’s meeting with council President Sujean Lee ’03 and council Vice President Anne M. Fernandez ’03, said he hoped students would be more involved in administrative decisions in the future.

“The president seemed to take the committee’s report very seriously, and I hope this is only the first step in significant student input, and hopefully next time students will be on the search committee,” Chopra said.

—Staff writer Kate L. Rakoczy can be reached at rakoczy@fas.harvard.edu.