Fewer Undergraduates Seek Fall Exam Excuses

The number of students who sought medical excuses to delay an exam last fall has decreased dramatically since last year, recent figures compiled by the University Health Services (UHS) show.

Three hundred and seventy-seven exams were delayed last fall, compared with 543 during the fall last year. Before last fall, the number had been increasing steadily since 1973.

Dr. Sholem Postel, acting director of UHS, said Thursday the decline may be a result of a new UHS policy, begun after mid-year exams last year, of sending course instructors a copy of each student's petition for a make-up exam.

One copy of the petition remains at UHS, one is given to the student, and two are sent to the senior tutor or the Freshman Dean's Office, which then forwards one to the instructor.

Fewer Full Year Courses?

John R. Marquand, senior tutor in Dudley House and assistant dean of the College, said Thursday the number of students asking for excuses may have gone down because fewer students have enrolled in full-year courses, or those courses with final exams.

"There's more of a reason to get a make-up for a full course than a half-year course," he said.

Marquand also said the severity of last year's flu epidemic may have caused more students to ask for excuses last year than this year.

Dean Fox declined to comment Thursday until the registrar's office releases official figures on the decline.