Freshman Seminars become a graduation requirement

On Monday, February 6th, 1984, the Academic Program Committee passed a motion making participation in a Freshman Seminar a graduation requirement for students graduating in 1985 and thereafter. The Freshman Seminar program was designed to introduce incoming students to college academic life and stimulate their critical thinking habits while focusing on a topic within the liberal arts framework. Originally, these seminars fulfilled a distribution requirement within the instructor's department. However, in April 1983, the faculty approved a motion to change the Freshman Seminar into a graduation requirement that would not fulfill any distribution requirement.

The motion also clarified guidelines for professors teaching Freshman Seminars, and goals for the seminars, which included teaching students how to use library services, understand plagiarism laws, and cite references correctly.