University of Virginia Library

Curriculum Group
Of Student Council
Endorses 4-1-4 Plan

By Tom Adams
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

Two motions by Jackson Lears,
chairman of the Student Council's
Academic Affairs Committee, suggesting
changes in the present two
semester system of the University
and calendar alterations to accommodate
these changes, passed unanimously
at Tuesday night's meeting
of the Council.

Mr. Lears' alternative to the
current 5-5 semester system is a
4-1-4 system, "where the traditional
fall and spring semesters are
shortened and course loads reduced,
and a four-week winter
semester is inserted during January.
During this 'mini-semester,' opportunities
for participation in seminars
and independent research are
provided."

According to Mr. Lears' committee
report, more than 50 colleges
and universities presently
using the 4-1-4 system were contacted,
"and all of them endorsed it
enthusiastically."

Mr. Lears wants the Calendar
and Scheduling Committee and the
Committee on the future of the
University to investigate the possibility
of implementing the 4-1-4
system by the academic year 1971.

His committee's report also
suggested calendar changes for next
year. According to George Shipley,
the only student member of the
Sub-Committee that draws up the
calendar for the Future of the
University Committee, the committee
for next year has been set
and cannot be changed.

Mr. Shipley said that changes in
the 1970-1971 calendar must be
submitted to the Calendar Sub-Committee
by the middle of March.
He said that students with suggestions
could give them to either
himself on Mr. Robert Fair, an
associate professor of graduate
business, who is chairman of the
sub-committee.

Mr. Lears' calendar changes for
next year include starting school
earlier, with reading days and final
exams at the end of December.
Classes would begin on January 15
and end on May 6, with school
ending on May 22.

Mr. Lears cited "flexibility" as
the primary advantage of the 4-1-4
system. "Beyond that, the psychological
benefits to the individual
student are immeasurable. For
example, the Christmas break
would become a real vacation,
instead of a period of frantic
reading and term paper writing."

Mr. Shipley said that the 4-1-4
system had been investigated by the
Committee on the Future of the
University. He said the 4-1-4 system
was found to be impractical for the
entire University. For example, he
said, the "mini-semester" would
not work very well in professional
schools such as engineering, law,
and medicine.

In other business at the Tuesday
night Council meeting, Howard
Merlin gave a report on the
feasibility of establishing a book
cooperative at the University. He
said that it would take at least
$100,000 in credit to get it started
but that a student-run bookstore
would only have to have a ten per
cent mark-up on books instead of
the 20 per cent that is charged for
hardback books by most book
dealers.

Bud Ogle reported, much to his
"chagrin," that of the $3,700 that
has been contributed to the Martin
Luther King Scholarship fund for
disadvantaged students, only $200
has been contributed by students.
The bulk of it, $3,000, has been
donated by the faculty, he said.
The rest, $500, has come from the
Community.

He presented a motion asking
that each Student Council representative
raise $50. That would
amount to $1,100. The University
will match each dollar contributed
to the fund up to $5,000.

In the same motion the Student
Council supported Transition Program
1969 and offered its services
to assist them. Both motions
passed.

Another motion by Mr. Ogle,
asking that "The Athletic Department
request the Track Advisory
Committee not to hold its scheduled
cocktail party at the Farmington
Country Club on April 10,"
passed unanimously. Farmington
Country Club is a segregated private
club.