University of Virginia Library

400 First-Year Men Register
For New Series Of Seminars

By Rob
Cavalier Daily Staff

One of the
academic developments the
program of 26
to be offered on
basis for the first time.

Already more than 400
first-year students have
tried to participate in the .

Associate Dean of the College
Marcus Mallett, who heads the
program, told The Cavalier Daily
last week that most seminars
received more responses than may
be accepted. The groups are limited
to no more than 15 students each.

First suggested last year by
David Harned, Chairman of the
Department of Religious Studies,
the idea of having seminars was
supported by more than 700 of last
year's first-year men.

According to a letter sent out to
entering first-year students last
summer by Dean Mallett, "the
purpose of the seminars is to give
the student an opportunity, at the
very beginning of his college career,
to come into close contact with a
faculty member, and to participate
in the free give-and-take of seminar
discussion in an informal atmosphere."

Seminars will be offered both
this year. The 26 different
carry from one to
hours of credit and will take
either in the afternoon or
All but the two seminars in
will meet in the residence

All of the professors participating
in the seminars are volunteers
and will receive no compensation.

Mr. Mallett said that funds will
be sought to regularize the program
in order to make it permanent once
the experimental phase has passed.

The most popular seminars by
far were those dealing with the
social sciences. Eight categories
which were heavily oversubscribed
were: "Races, Ghettos and Revolutions";
"Radicalism in Politics: A
Critical Analysis"; "The Study of
the Future: Processes of Social,
Economic and Political Change";
"The Nature and Theory of Revolution";
"Psychiatry, Morality and
the Law"; "Law and Civil Disobedience";
"Nonsense: Its Meaning and
Effect"; and "Sports: Their Role in
the Culture of Man."

Other changes this fall in the
academic profile of the College will
include a shift in the policy concerning
class attendance. Dean of the
College Irby B. Cauthen announced
last week that the old "fifty
percent rule" regarding class attendance
has been dropped.

Instead, instructors "are encouraged
to state their policy on
attendance to their classes; they
may refer to the Dean any student
whose attendance record they consider
unsatisfactory."

Several other changes will mark
the opening of the fall semester.

Among these is the formation of
the Alderman Road Association.
John Casteen, a graduate student in
English, will be in charge of the
first-year students living the
Alderman Road Houses.

William S. Willis, former Associate
Professor of French, will
serve as Dean of the Kent-Dabney
Association. He will succeed Raymond
C. Bice who is to be
Secretary of the Board of Visitors.

Dean Cauthen said that the
Committee on Curriculum Revision
has been meeting throughout the
summer and will continue to
deliberate this month. It is expected
that the committee will
report to the faculty in October.