Curricular Innovation

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Faculty Vote May 16, 2001

VOTING RESULTS

The four final curricular proposals from the CEP appeared as 13 individual ballot questions, which were voted on at Faculty Meeting on May 16, 2001. As is tradition at Williams, a 60% majority of the faculty vote is required for any significant curricular change to be enacted. Consequently, only those proposals that received a 60% "yes" vote will move toward implementation.

A total of 193 ballots were cast, including 33 absentee ballots. The percent of "yes" votes were as follows:

Signature Tutorial Program
  Tutorial Expansion 82%   (155 yes; 33 no)
 
Experiential Education
  Experiential Education at Williams 61%   (114 yes; 74 no)
  Williams in New York Program 67%   (125 yes; 62 no)
 
Interdisciplinary Initiatives
  Institute Model 21%   (40 yes; 149 no)
  Team-Teaching Model 69%   (130 yes; 58 no)
  Free Agent Model 56%   (106 yes; 83 no)
 
Skills and Contents Requirements
  Writing 82%   (156 yes; 35 no)
  Speaking 59%   (114 yes; 79 no)
  Quantitative/Formal Reasoning 60%   (114 yes; 76 no)
  Foreign Language Proficiency 48%   (91 yes; 100 no)
  Contemporary Social Justice 45%   (85 yes; 103 no)
 
  ABOLISH the Swim Test 33%   (63 yes; 127 no)
  Result: the Swim Test requirement will be retained.
 
Physical Education
  Maintain at eight quarters 30%   (#1-57, #2-60, #3-62)
  Reduce to four quarters 47%   (#1-87, #2-94, #3-0)
  Eliminate entirely 23%   (#1-43, #2-23, #3-110)
Result: Based on the number of #1 votes, 70% of the faculty voted to change the current physical education requirement. Accordingly, the votes of those who voted to maintain it were redistributed to their second choice, resulting in a clear preference for reduction to four quarters rather than elimination (reduce - 77%, eliminate - 23%).

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