University of Virginia Library

Faculty Votes Change
For Echols Program

By Tom Adams
Cavalier Daily Staff Writer

At a sparsely attended meeting one
week ago, the Faculty of the College of
Arts and Sciences approved a revision of
the Echols Scholars Program that will
eliminate practically all requirements.

The revision, which passed with only
one dissenting vote, will require Echols
Scholars to merely have 120 semester-hours,
or the equivalent, of academic
work and a 2.0 average for graduation.

Limited Pass-Fail

Echols Scholars will only be able to
take a limited number of pass-fail courses,
but they will have no major requirements
or required courses.

Marcus Mallet Association Dean for
Special Scholars, explained that the new
curriculum is almost identical to the
current Echols program. He said that to
compete for these students "we have to offer
them something exceedingly special."

Semester Away

Mr. Mallet also said that the Echols Scholars
will be "encouraged to consider the possibility
of spending a semester or session away from the
University." He said this provision was put in
the program because of the "high degree of
restlessness" he found among the Echols
Scholars.

Mr. Mallet also said that plans are being
made for a coeducational Echols program next
year. Watson House will serve as the dormitory
for both sees participating in the program.

The Committee on Admissions Policy
presented an interim report to the faculty in
which they said they were studying the College
admissions policy and were preparing to make a
complete report by the Spring.

Entrance Requirements

The Committee's chairman, Samuel Goldstein
of the Astronomy department, presented
a motion asking that "the Dean of Admissions
have the power to waive up to two unit
requirements for exceptionally promising students
for the class entering in the fall of 1970."

Mr. Goldstein explained that the University
requires a candidate for admission to the
college to have 16 units of study of which two
must be in a foreign language, three in
mathematics, four in English, one in a social
science and one in a physical science.

Few Units Needed

A few students each year who apply from
Virginia high schools lack perhaps one or two
of these unit requirements for admission, Mr.
Goldstein explained, although they are otherwise
exceptionally promising students. Often
because of poor high school counseling or
because a required unit was not available in a
student's high school, the student is ineligible
for admission to the College.

The motion, which passed unanimously, is
intended to aid these students. Ernest Ern,
Director of Admissions, told The Cavalier Daily
that some of the students who will have the
two unit requirements waived will be disadvantaged.