SCCEP Report Passed By Student Council, 10-9

The Student Council approved by a single vote last night the report of the committee on Educational Policy recommending the abolition of Sophomore Standing. After the Council members had deadlocked 9-9, on a motion for approval of the report, President Howard J. Phillips '62 cast the deciding favorable vote.

The decisive split in Council opinion parallels the feeling of the SCCEP itself, which did not unanimously approve the recommendations. A minority report, suggesting alternative ways to help solve the problem of the well-prepared freshmen, will be issued shortly.

Individual objections to the document centered on the "inadequate" explanation many of the Committee's recommendations. Several members said that the report would carry greater weight in any Administrative decision if the Committee's three primary points--abolition of Sophomore Standing, examination of Freshman year with regard to seminars and a house system, and re-evaluation of General Education requirements--were explained in the report.

George A. Ranney III '61, chairman of SCCEP, answered the dissenters by saying that the report was meant for people who have a knowledge of the structure and problem of Sophomore Standing, and don't need to be informed of them. That was also basically Ranney's answer to the objection that the report did not deal with the "major concern." the philosophy of Sophomore Standing.

Faculty Favors Brevity

"The Faculty has informed me of the necessity for brevity in the publication of reports," Ranney replied.

Another objection to the Committee's report was the recent survey that indicated 80 per cent of the participants in the program are in favor of it. "Maybe I'm not enough of a democrat," Ranney answered, but just because 80 per cent approve in some lacklustre way," is no reason to believe the program is good. He noted that the large majority of the faculty members contacted were against Sophomore Standing.