The Student Assembly voted last night to establish a committee to facilitate and encourage communication between students of diverse backgrounds.
The Assembly also passed a resolution to endorse the Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance's Winter Carnival drag ball and spoke to Director of Health Services Jack Turco about intoxication charges at Dick's house.
Proposed by Chris Swift '98, who is not an Assembly member the resolution that addresses communication and diversity calls for the creation of a committee to "provide the College community with proactive measures to encourage communication, awareness and respect among individuals with different backgrounds, perspectives and experiences."
The committee will determine the nature of these measures once it is formed.
Assembly President Jim Rich '96 said the resolution will be given to Dean of the College Lee Pelton along with a letter requesting Pelton to consider forming the committee.
The resolution proposes the committee be comprised of an equal number of students, faculty members and administrators, and be co-chaired by Pelton and a student elected by the Assembly.
Rich stressed the importance of the community's keeping the promises it made during last week's town meeting and "Rally Against Injustice."
He said the resolution shows "the Student Assembly is willing to be an active participant in the process."
They voted to voice their support for the Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance's Winter Carnival drag ball. Nineteen members voted for the resolution, seven voted against it and three members abstained from voting.
Many Assembly members said they think the Assembly should continue to bring campus groups together by endorsing the drag ball.
But Rich said, "although the Assembly supported the idea, it is ridiculous that the Student Assembly should play the role of sponsor to every event on campus."
He said this resolution is a "slippery slope in that direction."
At the beginning of the meeting, Turco spoke to the Assembly about the $518 charge students must pay if admitted to Dick's House for intoxication.
Turco said "the money has to come from somewhere," and, he said, few students are willing to pay more tuition to cover the cost of treating intoxicated students.
He emphasized that the $518 is not a fine. Rather, he said, it is a fee to cover the cost of a room, nurses and a physician while the student is at Dick's House.
Some Assembly members said they feared the charge dissuades students from bringing their intoxicated friends to Dick's House for treatment.
