A RECORD BREAKING CLASS
Dean of Freshmen
The class of 1931 has broken so many scholastic (not inter-scholastic) records that it seems fitting to commemorate its achivements in print as no trophy room is made available for such purposes.
First and most important, the average "standing" of the class of 1931 at the end of the first semester was 2.048 (2.0 represents a "C" standing) as compared with the best previous record of 1.894 and an average for the last eight classes of 1.831. A jump of two-hundredths of a point above the average of five thousand men may not seem much to those not mathematically minded until they realize that a small addition to the end of a man's nose may almost change his race or shift him from the class of good citizens to that of the geniuses.
The next important record to be set by this class is that 79.1 per cent of the class passed all five of their first semester courses as compared in recent classes (in order) with the percentages 70.3, 68.2, 67.4 and 65.7. Those of us on the spot who realize the steadily increasing faculty requirements, know that the above figures are decidedly vital and seem to indicate that the awful wastage of those hordes of boys who used to enter college but who disappeared long before graduation, is in process of being stopped.
Probably the general public and even the alumni will be most interested in the fact that only 12 members of the class of 1931 have been separated for scholastic failures as compared with the best previous record, that of the class of 1930, of 17 men. Beginning with the class of 1924, the numbers of freshmen separated at the end of the first semester have been 37, 32, 29, 27, 25, 24, 17 and 12. The tendency of fewer and fewer freshmen to fail to measure up to the scholastic requirements of the faculty is most easily seen by putting the above figures in graphical form.
It is probable that the number separated in the class of 1931 will not soon be improved on because of various exigencies of the selective process and of certain fundamental elements in -our philosophy of admissions. For example, the twelve men separated this year contained one son of an alumnus, one drop-back from 1930 and one transfer admitted by the President for good and sufficient reasons, without much hope, however, of the man in question being able to do our work. Another was the son of a carpenter who hoped to become a medical missionary and such a man will always be given a chance so long as the present admissions staff is on deck. Another of the group was admitted after he had been repeatedly refused because everyone who knew anything about him (except the Director of Admissions) was sure that he was a wonderful lad and could carry on. The other seven unquestionably contained one and perhaps two psychopathic cases, two or three loafers and a couple of men born under the wrong constellation. These things are mentioned because it should be the ideal of every alumnus that no one shall be admitted to the college who cannot or will not meet our scholastic requirements.
As freshman classes have varied greatly in size during the past decade, it is fairer to consider separations in percentages and here also the development has been nearly perfect, the percentages of separations at the end of the first semester, beginning with the class of 1924, being in order 5.9, 5.3, 5.3, 4.5, 3.7, 3.8, 2.5 and 1.9. It is probable that the figure 1.9 per cent of men separated at the end of their first semester in college has been surpassed by few colleges in our class and with our standards. Perhaps before dropping this phase of the matter, the writer should observe that in his estimation the improved scholastic records of recent freshman classes are due in fairly equal measure to the selective process, the new curriculum and the sophomore pledging season.
Only 32 members of the class of 1931 were put on probation for the second semester although freshmen are now put on probation not only for two failures but for receiving no grade above "D." This number compares most favorably with 59 on probation last year and 71 the year before. The present rules of probation have applied only to these three classes. Incidentally, no member of the class of 1931 was disciplined by separation or probation for irregular attendance.
Finally, no less than 51 members of the class of 1931, or 8.1 per cent of the class, made an average standing of "B" or better, that is between 3.0 and 4.0. This breaks all previous records by 1.7 per cent. In connection with these high grades the alumni may be interested to recall that the ability to, secure good grades improves steadily as each semester passes. In other words, the obtaining of high grades is an art.
