Ford to Ask Gen Ed Vote From Faculty

The Faculty of Arts and Sciences will pass judgment on 16 years' experience of the College's general education program at its meeting this afternoon.

Dean Ford has indicated he will ask for a preliminary vote on whether the Faculty favors retaining any form of general education program. Ford declined yesterday to discuss the form such a motion might take. "We want to test some specific points in sequnce, but we haven't agreed yet on the best way to present this in a parliamentary session," he said.

Ford apparently plans a slightly more involved series of tests today than he did when he first announced the straw vote. But it is still clear that the motion will be as general as possible, and its passage will not exclude any program that has been proposed so far.

Distribution Problems

Discussion today will probably center on the Doty Committee's proposals and on an alternative scheme offered at last month's Faculty meeting by Giles Constable. Constable's plan would create a distribution requirement which could be satisfied by taking either regular departmental courses or General Education courses.

Today's vote seems prompted primarily by widespread opposition to the Doty report. Faculty members who favor general education have reportedly been concerned that attacks on the Doty proposals would also be construed as opposition to general education. Once on record in support of a general education program, these Faculty members would feel free to discuss the Doty Report.

Usually reliable sources indicate that significant changes in the Doty report are sure to be made if it passes. They do not discount the possibility that the report will be completely rejected.

At least one member of the Doty Committee is understood to be planning to attack the Constable plan today, and more criticism of the Doty report proposals is also likely.