Tuesday, August 27, 1968 THE MICHIGAN DAILY Tuesday, August 27, 1 96~ THE MICHIGAN DAILY -J Curricular innovations th reatene partment to catch up in its teach- Teaching who is doing the study ing chores under the present lan- at the request of the curriculum By DAVID MANN The literary college will le tak- ing a fresh look at some old and troublesome issues this year, in- cluding the language requirement * and the extension of the pass-fail option to underclassmen. The language requirement re- ceived considerable attention last year both from the college's cur- riculum committee and the lit- erary college student steering com- mittee. Inquiry into the requirement' was prompted by what was viewed' as an inordinate number of re- quests to drop either a language course, or ,petitions to waive the entire requirement. George R. Anderson, assistant dean of the college, and his two assistants hear over 600 such requests per year. The steering committee. started a review of the requirement in the fall, as did the curriculum committee. Out of the two studies, many different opinions emerged on about a dozen proposals for changing the requirement, which range from abolishing language grades, as was eventually sug- gested by the steering committee, to lengthening the requirement to three years. As the winter semester ended, the curriculum committee had received suggestions from the Ad- ministrative Board of the college, and the steering committee in ad- dition to those it had developed. While considering whether or not to modify the requirement, the question of inability on the part of some students to learn a sec- ond language arose. James W. Shaw, assistant dean of the col- lege, requested a study of diffi- culties students face in learning foreign languages. A study was initiated to find if, in fact, it may be inpossible for some to learn a second language; or if it is possible for all to learn another language, what kinds of problems make it so difficult for so many students. The study is to be completed this year. Many of the proposals for modification of the requirement suggested a two track approach to the requirement. This would involve teaching reading and cul- tural aspects of a language to students who take a foreign lan- guage to satisfy the requirement, and a full linguistic approach similar to the current one, for those who plan to go on in the study of languages. There are two opinions on the two track system. It is favored by many because it will lighten the teaching load on the department of romance languages. Presently, the teaching fellows who teach the first four semesters of lan- guage are forced to present a staggering amount of material to their students in too short a time. The proponents of the two track method assert that if only read- ing is taught in the bulk of the courses, which would be the case if the plan were adapted, the reading course load would be suited to the amount of class time available to teach it. The linguistic track, they say, would have a much smaller en- rollment. This would allow assign- ment of the more qualified teach- ing fellows to the track with the more difficult material. Those opposing the two track plan include James O'Neil, chair- man of the department of ro- mance languages. In his opinion, language cannot be divided into its component parts; but must be presented as a whole. O'Neil further points out that the period of rapid enrollment increase is over for the Univer- sity. With enrollment leveling off, the number of introductory lan- guage students will not continue to spiral, and eventually decrease because of better high school language preparation. This will allow the romance language de- guage requirement. Whatever action the curriculum committee takes concerning the requirement must be accepted by the college faculty before going into effect, however, which is a lengthy process. For the near future, then, it appears as though students will have to continue suffering with the requirement. The pass-fail option, currently available to all upperclassmen in good standing also was the subject of discussion last year. The current option allows one non-concentration, non-distribu- tion requirement course per se- mester for upperclassmen with pass or fail grading only. A stu- dent of pass-fail which will not be completed until April, leaves some hoping the option will be extended before that date. Charles E. Pascal of the Center for Research on Learning and committee, is among those who would have pass-fail extended. Calling grades a manifestation of "educational conservatism," Pas- cal favors a general application of pass-fail. The steering committee sug- gested extension of the option to all students except first semester freshmen. Prof. Roy Pierce of the political science department, last year's curriculum committee chairman, indicated that considerable study of pass-fail is yet to be done. "Although the committee has been discussing pass-fail for quite some time, any recommendation for changing the option is still quite far off." When a recommendation does come from the committee, it, like other curriculum changes, will have to be cleared with the col- lege's faculty before going into effect. Academic discipline shaken by more than cribsheets Language labs could be deserted By DAVID MANN The easy-goingsdisciplinary sys- tem of the literary college and the # entire University was shocked out of its long slumber last fall, and repercussions of the shock con- tinue to be felt. The Administrative Board of the literary college normally handles discipliuary cases involv- ing academic dishonesty (cheat-. ing, plagarism, and similar of- fenses). Controversy flared when it was revealed that Vice President for Student Affairs Richard L. Cutler had requested the Board to -academically discipline Mrs. Karen Daenzer '70, then chair- man of Voice-SDS, for participa- tion in what was considered to be a disruptive protest against war research. Student leaders, expressing the view of many on campus, felt if any kind of disciplinary action should have been taken, a dubious move to begin with, it should have been through the civil channels, channels that the University ad- ministration refused to use. Vice President for Research A. Geoffrey Norman said after the October 11 protest no action would be initiated to discipline the students involved either through University or civil channels. The Cutler letter asking for dis- Daenzer came to light December 1. The Administrative Board, after a month of debate, declined to accept initial jurisdiction of the case. "Throughout the debate, the Board never knew exactly which student or students were involved," said James Shaw, assistant dean of the college and chairman of the Board. The Board was con- sidering the case in thenabstract- considering whether or not to hear it. Previously the Board had heard only traditional academic cases. Soon after the Daenzer case, it was revealed, letters had been sent to 'the graduate school asking ap- propriate academic discipline be used against Eric Chester Grad, and Sam Freidman Grad, both members of Voice, who had par- ticipated in the October war re- search protest. The graduate school administra- tion declined to act on Cutler's request. "The whole thing became a dead issue after the literary col- lege and the grad school refused jurisdiction," according to Ches- ter. The issue, however, is not quite dead. In the wake of the Daenzer case, there is a policy vacuum concern- ing discipline. It is not clear what disciplinary body should have jur- isdiction over non-academic of- fenders. Nor is it clear what ex- actly constitutes the difference between academic and non-aca- demic offenses. An academic offense is inter- preted as anything that disrupts the functioning of the University, according to a Board statement. This would include disruptive sit- ins and demonstrations. Many stu- dents,' however, feel that those sorts of pffenses are non-academ- ic, and their participants should not be held liable for them by the= University. Academic status should not be endangered by political activities outside the University's academic 'sphere in' the opinion of many students. In the present nebulous state of the University's disciplinary sys- tem, the Administrative Board "has reserved the right to consider hearing cases involving students of the college accused of disruptive activity as well as traditional aca- demic offenses. But the Board would rather not be the discipli- nary body in such matters," said Shaw. The procedures to be followed in the event of the Board refusing to hear a case have not been de- termined. Judicial alternatives are currently being worked out, with final approval resting with the Regents. The proposal nown under con- sideration by the administration, the faculty, SGC, and the Grad Assembly involves implementation of the Hatcher Commission Re- port. The report recommends a tri-partite University Council that would have jurisdiction over all possible discipline cases. Final approval of the measure, which must be written into the Univer- sity's bylaws and approved by the Regents has been the object of considerable negotiation during the summer. The bylaw proposals have left the Board in doubt as to its future role. The summer planning ses- sions have not elucidated the role of the individual college judicial systems, and some members of the Board are concerned that faculty members of other colleges might be involved irr making decisions effecting literary college students. The Board would serve, if the by- law were adopted, only as an appeal body. While the issue of the' college's disciplinary autonomy remained vague, the Board began to estab- lish a written policy of due pro- cess procedure for all cases that it hears. Shaw explained this action as one that will let the student know exactly where he stands with the Board, what his rights are, what the possible penalties he may face, and what his rights of appeal are. The due process statement is currently in its third draft form, and is in the hands of the stu- dent literary college steering com- mittee. The steering committee has been charged with the responsi- bility of presenting the statement to the students of the college in any manner that it feels will a- low the committee to accurately determine student opinion on the matter. The steering committee will make any check of studies open in the fall. It will then work out a final proposal with the Board. As yet, however, there is no assurance that the statement will ever be employed by the Board, because the Board's role.in the future of the University discipli- nary system awaits action by the larger bodies of, administration, faculty, and student opinion. 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