University of Virginia Library

Accepts Comps Plan

Faculty Abolishes Phys Ed

By Bill Fryer
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

If the proposed curriculum now
undergoing "perfection" by the College
Faculty is approved, students in the
College will no longer be required to
complete a course in physical education,
as a result of yesterday's seventh special
meeting to study the proposed curriculum.

The faculty also voted to accept the
Curriculum Committee's proposal that
academic departments not be required to
force students in their department to pass
a comprehensive examination or write an
acceptable essay. The decision to have
either a comprehensive examination or an
essay would belong to the individual
department.

Charles R. Tolbert of the Astronomy
Department introduced a successful motion
to include Astronomy 3 in the
Mathematics and Natural Science Area
Requirement. After the suggestion passed
unanimously, Dean David Shannon noted that
"finally we have found a consensus on
something."

Robert J. Austin of the Department of
Government urged the faculty to study the
possibility of instituting some interdisciplinary
courses as alternatives to Area Requirements.
The consensus of the faculty was to send these
questions to the appropriate faculty committee.

James West, who is in charge of the
first-year physical education program, spoke for
Athletic Director Steve Sebo who could not
attend. Mr. West stated that the Physical
Education department would prefer a "required
program with academic credit," but recognizing
the wishes of students and the trends in
education the Department had no proposals to
offer at that time.

In some technical areas the faculty approved
the Committee's recommendations that students
not be able to take courses pass-fail in
completing the area requirements; that area
requirement courses not be used to satisfy
requirements for a major plan of study too; and
that a student may complete the requirements
in each area in his first three years.

A new University major to be administered
by the Associate Dean of Special Studies was
then approved. John Moore, Chairman of the
Curriculum Committee, explained that the
program would allow a student to "investigate a
topic from a number of different views or
disciplines."

At the prompting of Donald MacInnis of the
Music Department the number of hours for a
University Major was raised from 18 to 30. An
attempt to get the faculty to recommend to the
Associate Dean that University Majors be
required to spread their program out over more
than two departments failed.

Mr. MacInnis also introduced a motion to
require a department make a student take
either a comprehensive examination or an
acceptable essay. He argued that if neither were
required there was the "distinct possibility of
in-fighting between departments for students to
enroll in the department." He also noted
budgetary considerations about the number of
majors.

Mr. Moore countered by saying that the
faculty should not put any requirements in the
new curriculum which were not intellectually
valid and that the faculty was to consider a
curriculum not budgetary considerations.

Alexander Sedgwick of the History Department
observed that "departments were in the
best position to decide what should culminate a
major program. After an extended debate on
semantics, the faculty voted down the MacInnis
proposal 71-30.

The only subject now to be considered
before the final vote on the whole curriculum is
the future of ROTC. The faculty will meet
again this afternoon at 4 in another special
session to consider that question.