University of California Berkeley - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

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University Credit for Outside Activities - the most important feature of modern collegiate education is the growing recognition which is accorded to applied as well as purely theoretical learning. Ve must recognize this tendency, regardless of its merits, because of its great importance. Natural Sciences and Engineering are the departments which afford the best illustration of the giving of credit the application of the teachings of the classroom. Both laboratory practice and actual experience in the field are credited by these departments. There are several college activities which are the laboratory equivalents certain courses, but which are not accredited, despite their close relation - - These activities, as well as many others, have undergone a remarkable development during the last few years. The relative merits of Journalism. Debating and Dramatics have scarcely been changed. but each of these has attained a greater absolute value than ever before. There has been an increa-se in the duties and responsibilities of those engaged in activities and more logical systems of administration have been adopted. The work of the English Club is an excellent example of up-to-date ad- ministration. The standards of the Occident and Pelican have been greatly- raised since the Club assumed control of -e papers and enforced definite rules .rning their publication. The dra- matic productions of the Club meet with ever-increasing success because of the efficiency displayed in their man- ent. The iv. .ificant feature- college activities to-day are. that a aer amount of work is done than ever before, that this work has greater merit, and that the amount and merit of the work are measured impartially by recently adopted standards. These fea- tures are very widely appreci ated and nearly every one who does so belie - that the time has come for giving students who participate in certain activities, college credit. ' 9

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Emphasis can not be laid too strongly on the word certain. The approval of certain activities implies the condemnation of others. Xo one denies that social and political activities have been deplorably overdone. Any group of individuals who can say thank you in any language feel them- :itled to a series of vague informal gatherings. Most social affairs require the appointment of committees which will include all the friends of the person who makes the appointments. These committees must dance often together before they are in a mood for serious deliberation, and after the culmination of their - :ne brilliant June- Id an after- math dance with the re- eficit. With the , helming adoption at a mei : lution condemning can- --ing and pledgir. colK. ics have been inated. It is pro- 1 to recognize only . activities which are in nature and which aid the work i the n. A strong the that impractical because e difficulty in appor- ng the credit. each activitv. a special 1 be m sary. the personnel and - i which would be difficult to determine and whose deliberations would be apparently endless. But it would not be difficult to select such a board. College activities owe much of their success and even more of their :s character and intrinsic worth to the efforts of interested members of the Faculty. There are profe- ho are so familiar with the activities which involve an application of the principles which they teach, that they can very- easily form an estimate of the worth of the work accomplished outside the classroom. It is reasonable to believe that credit value could be assigned