The Student Assembly last night discussed its plans for the Webster Hall rally and voted down a proposal to extend the Office of Residential Life's deadline for alternate recommendations to its plan to require Greek houses and undergraduate societies to fill all their beds.
Assembly President Rukmini Sichitiu '95 said the Dog Day Players and the Black Underground Theater will perform at the rally, scheduled for Saturday night.
She said the Aires have not made a final decision as to whether or not they will be able to perform at the rally. The Programming Board will provide $200 for refreshments.
The rally is intended to convince the administration there is student support for a building like Webster on campus.
Webster is currently slated to be converted into a Special Collections library.
ORL Housing Plan
Assembly Treasurer Ben Hill '98 sponsored the bill to extend the ORL deadline.
Hill said the purpose of the bill was to give the Assembly more time to gather information on the proposal so it could take a knowledgeable stand on the proposed plan.
"It's pretty clear," he said. "We're not taking a stand on the issue. We just want time to research the issues."
The original ORL proposal mandated that Greek houses and undergraduate societies fill their beds before members could get housing on campus.
Dean of the College Lee Pelton said yesterday that the College is no longer considering that particular proposal.
The College will still look for a way to fill empty beds in Greek organizations and undergraduate societies.
Sichitiu said she hoped an extension would allow the Assembly to give the students a voice.
She said the Assembly's role in the discussion of the ORL proposal is that of a moderator.
"Our role is to mediate between the student body and the administration," she said.
"We want to find a compromise that addresses the housing crisis, but also takes into account the concerns of the students affected within the Coed Fraternity Sorority system," she added.
But many members said they thought if the Greek leaders did not have a problem with the current deadline, the Assembly had no reason to ask for an extension.
"We need to assess how much of an effect we will have," Assembly Vice President John Honovich '97 said. "There's no reason for us to step in if the Greeks don't see a problem."
Assembly Member Ben Murphy '95 said he was concerned that the Assembly was duplicating the efforts of Greek leaders.
"They're already coming up with their own counterproposal. I don't think we can do any better than they can," he said.
Plans for the Assembly
Assembly members also announced several of the projects the Assembly is currently working on.
The projects included: expansion of College shuttle services to A-lot, bussing to major sporting events and getting Dartalk to pay back the students they overcharged.
Other projects mentioned were increasing the number of bike racks, developing a crisis center and evaluating the First-Year Report.
At the end of the meeting, Sichitiu discussed her goals and vision for the Assembly.
She defined her goals as focusing on Webster Hall, expanding their Student Publications Fund and addressing sexual assault issues.
Sichitiu also said she hope to work on relocating the Women's Resource Center, expanding Freshman Orientation and support services for specific minority campus groups.
