The Oberlin Review
<< Front page News February 17, 2006

This Week in Oberlin History

This week, we look back 28 years to the birth of one of Oberlin’s most popular and competitive majors: creative writing. The picture is unrelated but quintessentially Oberlin in February. And, well, poetic.

Oberlin in History
February 1978

The Educational Plans and Policies Committee voted six to one yesterday to recommend to the General Faculty that a formal major be included in the creative writing program. History Professor Barry McGill was the lone dissenter.

McGill, who chaired the sub-committee which studied the possibilities of a formal writing major, told the committee that they ought to refrain from creating additional academic majors.

“Prudent measures of birth control would be more wise than proliferation of majors,” he warned.

McGill also noted that there were only four writing majors who applied through the Individual Majors Committee. Writing majors must currently structure their own major and make a formal proposal to the committee.

Stuart Friebert, director of the writing program, disagreed with McGill and asserted that there are currently eight to ten majors each year, many of whom double major or specialize in writing with an English department major.

Phyllis Gorfain argued for the creation of a writing major on the basis of two years experience on the Individual Majors Committee. She explained that much committee time is taken up by would-be writing majors who apply for an individual major. Gorfain also advocated the formulation of a set of future criteria for the establishment and dismantling of majors.

Friebert assured committee members that creative writing was a legitimate and stringent program. “We feel we have a solid program that serves liberal arts students at large, as well as majors.”

Friebert stressed that the creation of a major would require no additional staff and result in no added costs to the College, “I would be very happy to run on the power now; people from other departments come forward regularly to help out.” The Creative Writing Department currently employs two and a half regular full time employers.


 
 
   

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