White Claims Gill Plan Would Overload Tutors

Members of the Social Relations Department have disagreed with the general opinion that the plan to open the Honors program would not affect the number of students taking tutorial.

Robert W. White '25, chairman of the Department, said yesterday that keeping tutorial groups within manageable proportions would require "scrounging" for qualified tutors, if the Department's staff was not enlarged.

White also hinted that some middle-group courses might have to be omitted because of the scarcity of professors that would result from the proposed system.

Except for the problem of staffing the new program, members of the Department agree that the plan to open tutorial to all concentrators represents a substantial improvement. The Faculty in Social Relations has already met twice to discuss the proposals, and in particular, White and the other professors favor the changes in the requirements for the cum laude degree in General Studies, and feel that adoption of the proposals might well stimulate more serious work among the students.

White said the option for taking advantage of the General Studies degree, "as a respected choice," should be up to the student and not the Department.

He pointed out that increased work by the students could raise the 40 per cent of concentrators in Social Relations who graduate with Honors to a total nearer the college norm of slightly over 50 per cent.

The entire Faculty will discuss, and may vote on, the proposal at its meeting Tuesday. Thus far, the Department of Social Relations is the only one to forecast a large increase in the tutorial enrollment if the new plan goes into effect. Both Dean Monro and the members of the History Department predict little or no change in numbers.