The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-13
'MID!YEAR DIPLOMAS
semi-Annual Graduation Plan log
ical Outcome Of Semester System
FURTHER CHANGES AT THE ''U''
They Are fihought by Registrar
johnson to BE Greatly
Needed.

The change form the three-term to the
semester system at the university, which
was made last fall has proved a success
IN spite Of the confusion necessitated by
an entire Encouragement of the curriculum.
Registrar johnson. editor Of the Alumni
Weekly, makes the statement that at
least two additional weeks of solid class
room Mork have been secured by the
change, and that in another year, when
the plan is working smoothly, the adj
yantages will be even greater.
Another question, however, has arisen
since the adoption of the semester sys-
tenn by the larger high schools of the
state with semi annual graduation dates.
The question is how shall the university
provide for the increasingly large num-
Der or students graduated from the high,
schools at the midwinter date AS the
matter now stands such students are adj.
mitted to auy subjects of the freshman
year for which they are prepared. but as
most OF the university classes have lat
that time been running from the opening
OF the college year the high school grad
yates choice is limited, and many are
kept from the university or are required
to wait until the beginning of the next
college year. Registrar johnson believes
1T Is only question of a very short time
when the university will he obliged to
meet this condition by beginning classes
Such plan, he says, would not involve
any great expense and would solve sew
eral vexatious problems. Furthermore, it
would provide for students who had en-
tered In the fall and failed to make sat
isfactory records during the first SEM
ester.
But above all, in Mr.. Johnsons opin-
lon, comes the necessity for midyear
graduating point in the university year.
He says:
We are In favor Of anything that will re-
duce in any degree the pressure to get
through the university at any particular
time. The putting Of SO much stress upon
the exercises of commencement week at the
beginning of the year has resulted in the idea
that none can be properly graduated who has
not stood in line upon the stage and had his
diploma handed to him with all the pomp and
spectacular accompaniment Of the occasion.
Fortunately this idea has received several
rude shocks in late years, and before many
years have passed will have joined those
other college fetiches, the Latin diploma, the
Latin Grafton and formula and the gradual
ing Grafton in the limbo Of innocuous desue-
tude. Under the present system with date
OF graduation the tendency to bend every
effort to be able to present bare minimum
results at times in great amount of stretch
ing to get that minimum. A diploma ought
to represent minimum of four years of such
solo scholastic training as may be secured
by student of fair average ability who is
faithful and industrious in habits. 1t ought
to become a fixed idea that the weak, the
insufficiently prepared, or the student who
lacks either the ability or the purpose to ap-
ply himself, will be required to spend an
indefinite amount Of time to accomplish the
same result. In order to make this ideal
Of the highest value, it should be accompanied
by the growth of the idea that save in excep-
tional cases the student who manages to Sc
cure merely the minimum in the way of such
training should be considered as having scant
title to be called a college bred man or
woman. ID -. a..-....