Yesterday marked the beginning of the annual Winter-term meeting of the College's Board of Trustees, with tuition rates and quality of residential life among the issues on the agenda.
College President James Freedman, a member of the Board, said the Trustees will be setting tuition and room and board costs for next year. The Board will also discuss fundraising for the College and post-Will to Excel campaign initiatives, he said.
College Trustee Susan Dentzer -- who gave a speech yesterday afternoon at Brace Commons about the future of the American economy -- said the Board will also be discussing the College's construction and spatial needs, such as the so-called "north campus" expansion.
In addition, the Trustees will be making decisions about academic and residential life buildings.
Dentzer called the recently concluded Will to Excel capital campaign a "smashing success," but she added that some of the meetings this weekend will take a retrospective look at the campaign and address how future capital campaigns could be improved. She said the success of the Will to Excel campaign will fund many changes on the campus, including renovations and construction of new facilities.
Cheryl Reynolds, secretary to the Board of Trustees, said the Trustees arrived yesterday and will be on campus until noon Saturday.
The Trustees have a few full days of meetings scheduled, according to Director of Public Affairs Laurel Stavis.
She said most of the meetings are confidential, although some, including a breakfast with students on Saturday morning, are semi-public.
Student Assembly President Jon Heavey '97 said he hopes to present three concerns to the Trustees -- making student life a budget priority, expanding social space options on campus and the potential of students voting or being involved in the Trustee election. Yesterday, the Trustees met with some students to address issues regarding fraternity, sorority and coed houses.
Former Delta Delta Delta sorority President Anne Jones '97, one of the student participants, said the students present voiced their concerns and she was "pleased" with the Trustees' response.
She said the three-hour length of the meeting was indicative of how serious the Trustees are about issues within the Greek system, including the derecognition of Beta Theta Pi fraternity last December.
"The Greek system is the social culture at Dartmouth," she said. "The Trustees are trying to decide what their role is in the Greek system-- if they should intervene."
Jones said the Trustees also met last night to discuss the Greek system, and added she hopes the CFS organizations will be informed immediately if the Trustees decided it is their responsibility to intervene.
