Acting Dean of the College Dan Nelson announced Friday the 11 students, faculty and administrators who will join him in comprising the task force charged with compiling a list of proposals for the Board of Trustees to help the Board make decisions regarding their monumental residential and social life initiative.
Nelson said the task force, which will work toward "encouraging discussion and ideas and compiling them for presentation to the Trustees" will not present any of its own proposals or evaluate the proposals it receives. Nelson said the task force will serve only as a "conduit to senior officers and Trustees."
According to Nelson's letter, the task force will schedule a number of meetings at which ideas about how to achieve the Trustees' stated goals will be discussed.
Nelson said he expects the Trustees might make some decisions about the fate of the College's residential and social structure as soon as this summer after the task force prepares a report for them at the end of Spring term or the beginning of Summer term. Nelson said he hopes the community will offer ideas that will respond to the Trustees' stated principles.
"Ultimately, it will be up to the Trustees to determine what proposals do that and what proposals will be advanced or implemented," Nelson said.
The Trustees' statement outlined a set of five "fundamental principles" that the Trustees hope will eventually characterize the residential and social system at the College:
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there should be greater choice and continuity in residential living and improved residential space
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there should be additional and improved social spaces controlled by students
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the system should be substantially coeducational and provide opportunities for greater interaction among all Dartmouth students
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the number of students living off campus should be reduced
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the abuse and unsafe use of alcohol should be eliminated.
The faculty and administrators on the task force will include Acting Dean of the College Dan Nelson, Acting Dean of Residential Life Mary Liscinsky, Dean of Student Life Holly Sateia, and Student Life Committee Chair Professor Ulf Osterberg.
Eight students will be part of the task force: Coed Fraternity and Sorority Council President Jaimie Paul '00, Student Assembly President Josh Green '00, Aaron Akamu '01, Graduate Student Council President Melanie Blanchard, Shauna Brown '99, Eric Buchman '00, President of Sigma Phi Epsilon Andy Louis '00 and Sope Ogunyemi '00.
Nelson said the group will "evaluate itself" at its first meeting to "see if we are an appropriately sized and composed group."
Nelson chose the group from students who either contacted him directly to express interest in being on the task force, or were recommended to him by others.
Paul said she hopes to contribute by "really bringing the students' perspective to the Trustees and being able to represent the CFSC."
Although Paul said she believes that the Greek system contributes positively to the campus, she said the CFSC is "not fighting against any set decisions that have been made." She said that the CFSC is "fighting against the fact that opinions have been presented as decision. What we're fighting for is to have our voices heard; I don't think that's too much to ask for."
Ogunyemi said she is excited about being on the task force because she does not think she knows enough about the Trustees' plan to determine whether the Trustees' initiatives are good or bad ideas.
"I think that fraternities and sororities serve a purpose on the campus," Ogunyemi said, "but I think that if there is something that can be proposed to enhance the Dartmouth community, I would not just brush it aside."
Green said he sees his role on the task force as way to "fight for what students believe in." He said he sees determining what students believe as his biggest challenge.
"I think it is important that I do the best I can to encourage the student body to come up with its own informed opinion," Green said. "We can always improve on social and residential life. The question is -- how?"
Buchman said that he thinks the Trustees' five initiatives are "good things and important goals," but said he disagrees "so far with how both sides have gone about expressing their views."
"Hopefully the task force will make discussions smoother from this point on," he said.
