58 American Fisheries Society 



desirous of increasing their knowledge along these lines, but 

 who lack the necessary educational requirements for admis- 

 sion to the university as regular students. So we devised a 

 plan of taking these people in as special students. In other 

 words, they come in and stay one year, two years, three, or 

 four, or any length of time they please, conforming to the 

 ordinary regulations at the university. They are not eligible 

 for a degree, unless during the course of their studies they 

 make up their deficiencies in the requirements for admission; 

 if they do so, they automatically become regular students. 

 But most of them never will be regular students; they are 

 merely seeking, for instance, instruction in fish culture or 

 fisheries technology. We let them take, out of the different 

 courses offered, just what they want; they are not compelled 

 to observe any set course. We have now four students who 

 are specials. One who wanted fish culture came from New 

 York, and we are planning that he will get through in about 

 two years. 



Third, in order to provide for men regularly employed in 

 the industry, we established the short course. In the Univer- 

 sity of Washington we divide the year into four quarters. The 

 student may take one quarter, then drop out one, two, or three 

 quarters, if he wishes, and come back for another. But if he 

 wants to take the four quarters in a year he can finish the regu- 

 lar work in three years instead of four. On the Pacific coast 

 the fishing vessels usually come in about December and tie 

 up for two and one-half or three months, and in March refit 

 and go out again. As a result of this we selected the winter 

 quarter, from January 1st to March 27th, for the short course. 

 The only requirement of the student who desires to take ad- 

 vantage of the short course is that he shall be at least twenty- 

 one years of age, though we are not particular to insist that he 

 prove this, and be able to read and write English. We have 

 been emphasizing frequently and insistently the fact that one 

 does not have to be a high school graduate to take these 

 courses; one does not even have to be a graduate of a grade 



