To the editor:

   Re your article and editorial on the elimination of the Course Book (October 30):  For several months I have been trying, tirelessly but with no success, to point out to the administration that the ancient technology of the book has not been superseded by the computer (and never will be).  As students interviewed in your article point out, you cannot carry Wesmaps around from place to place and you cannot easily and quickly flip back and forth to compare courses in different parts of the curriculum (this only begins the list of reasons why Wesmaps can be a supplement to, but not a substitute for, the Course Book).  The course catalog, which contains all courses ever given at Wesleyan, is useless as a substitute for a book that contains only the courses for the semester in question.

   Rest assured that, just as no substantial body of students was consulted about this change, neither was it discussed with any significant number of faculty before it was announced to us as a fait accompli.

   I urge all students who are unhappy that their tuition does not cover the cost of a handy, convenient, book-form listing of all courses and course descriptions to protest vigorously to the administration.

Sincerely,

Susanne Fusso

Professor, Department of Russian Language and Literature