Some Student Assembly members left last night's meeting slamming doors behind them after it ended with votes to table both an attendance resolution that removed truant assembly members, and a set of resolutions on community at Dartmouth.
"We were discussing a motion supposedly to increase responsibility and effectiveness of the Assembly," Assembly member Scott Jacobs '99 said after the meeting. "Then we tabled everything and accomplished nothing."
At the beginning of the meeting, Dean of the College Lee Pelton joined the Assembly to discuss the East Wheelock cluster, affinity housing and administrative reactions to recent racist events on campus.
After Pelton's presentation, the Assembly discussed an attendance resolution, sponsored by Ben Hill '98. The resolution called for an amendment to the Assembly's constitution that would remove a member from the Assembly for missing three meetings of either the general Assembly or a committee.
No general meeting absences would be excused, although absences from committee meetings could be excused by the committee chair, according to the resolution.
Hill said if members miss meetings, "for whatever reason," they are rendering the Assembly ineffective because they will not know what is going on.
Assembly member Case Dorkey '99 said he thinks there can be "extenuating circumstances" with regard to attendance and the Assembly should not "be forced to make a decision about uncertain things in the future."
After debating the resolution, the Assembly voted to table it until next week.
Since the Assembly voted earlier in the evening to suspend the rules, it was able to vote to halt all new business. In this vote, members tabled a set of resolutions to be presented by Unai Montes-Irueste '98 and Bill Kartalopoulos '97 regarding community at Dartmouth until next week.
The meeting opened with Pelton's discussion. President of the Assembly Jim Rich '96 asked Pelton to address a two other issues after he spoke about the East Wheelock Plan.
Rich asked Pelton to discuss the College's response to last term's racial incidents as well as the College's view on affinity housing, including its response to a housing petition by Political Queers, the political arm of the Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance.
Pelton said the College has decided to "think a little bit more about what happened last term -- the compelling forces and principles and values."
Last term, the Assembly passed a resolution calling for the College to consider the creation of a committee to facilitate and encourage communication between students of different backgrounds.
Pelton said his "inclination is to say no to a committee."
He said instead he is predisposed to look at several other options, including a code of conduct which addresses the issue of harassment and task forces to look at areas such as residential life or student life.
Another idea Pelton suggested was that the College establish a "regular, ritual time" weekly for community activities when no academic activity would be permitted.
Pelton said he could not speak about the particular housing proposal by Political Queers as he has yet to speak with them, but he spoke about the College's policy on affinity housing.
He said affinity housing is misunderstood by many. All affinity housing has a direct link with an academic program and is open to all students, Pelton said.
He added he has written a letter to be printed in The Dartmouth sometime soon which further addresses academic affinity housing.
The East Wheelock supercluster will have a cluster dean and residential faculty members living nearby.
The executive committee voted last week to create a new ad hoc committee on financing and Rich appointed Hill to chair the committee.
Rich said next week Dartmouth Dining Services Director Pete Napolitano will address the Assembly about Collis Cafe.
