The Student Assembly Executive Committee unanimously approved a motion at their Sunday meeting to discuss repealing the boycott of Dartmouth Dining Services at tonight's general Assembly meeting.
The motion is contingent on the acceptance this morning by College Treasurer Lyn Hutton of an agenda for a Dining Services Task Force.
Assembly President Nicole Artzer '94 and Nina Nho '97, the Assembly's liason to Dining Services, met with Hutton today to discuss the charge.
The new motion will be presented to the Assembly tonight and will need support from a majority of the Assembly in order for it to be passed.
Two weeks ago, Matthew Berry '94 and Assembly Treasurer John Steiner '94 presented the original motion for the boycott to the Assembly. The motion attacked Dartmouth Dining Services for "insufficient flexibility" in making changes to student meal plan policies.
Berry said he thinks the Assembly will vote to repeal the boycott tonight.
"I would think that if John and I said to the Assembly, 'As authors of this motion we believe there has been sufficient progress' I really would be dumbfounded if they did not support it," Berry said.
Mark Waterstraat '94 said the boycott reversal came after the Executive Committee re-worked the charge presented to them by Artzer.
"Basically Steve and Nicole met," Waterstraat said. "Nicole presented the charge and nobody liked it. We needed compromise. A person needed to be appeased. That person was Matt Berry."
The task force will research and investigate several ideas. Topics include the reduction or elimination of the freshman meal plan, a plan to increase the refund limit of the upperclass meal plan and the formation of a permanent committee to monitor DDS, Berry said.
Members of the task force have yet to be determined, Hutton said. Artzer will suggest Assembly members and administrators to sit on the task force. But all members must be approved by Hutton.
Tyrone Thomas '94, co-chair of the Assembly's communications committee, said he believed the campus was not very aware of the original motion.
"'We probably saved ourselves the embarrassment of sponsoring a high profile activity with a high risk of failure," Thomas said.
Artzer said she was pleased the boycott motion was withdrawn.
"I think obviously if the change is approved, withdrawing the boycott is clearly the most reasonable thing to do for students," Artzer said. "Having a solid charge drawn up for a task force clearly goes above and beyond reasonable progress."
