The steering committee on the Student Life Initiative met this weekend in Hanover with several students before beginning discussion on its recommendations to the Board of Trustees, committee co-chair Trustee Susan Dentzer '77 said.
Dentzer had previously told The Dartmouth the main task of the weekend was "to decide what to recommend in all areas" of the Initiative.
The full committee "ploughed into discussions" about various aspects of the Initiative and began to formulate a set of recommendations for the Board of Trustees, according to Dentzer.
Dentzer said the committee made good progress and worked "really hard all weekend."
Throughout the discussion, Dentzer said the committee tried to "keep foremost in every member's mind what's best for the College."
The committee started their meetings on Friday afternoon with students, some of whom had requested to speak to the committee.
Student Assembly Vice-President Margaret Kuecker '01 said she and Assembly President Dean Krishna '01 were asked by the committee to discuss their impressions of last week's panel for the community with the student representatives to the committee.
Kuecker also said they talked about ways the Assembly can facilitate further discussion about the committee once its recommendations are announced.
Dentzer said Krishna and Kuecker also gave the committee an overall sense of student opinion on the Initiative and told the committee students had every possible chance to voice input and ask questions of the group.
Former Student Assembly President Josh Green '00 said he requested to speak with the steering committee and was granted time on Friday afternoon.
Green said it was inappropriate to discuss specific details of his conversation with the committee, given its confidentiality policy about who they meet with it and what is said.
However, Green said that he gave the committee his opinion on the Five Principles.
"I've certainly expressed those opinions publicly before so it shouldn't be any surprise to people what I said," Green said.
Green has emerged as a prominent opponent of the Greek system, first in a column that ran in The Dartmouth and then advocating its elimination at two panels on the Initiative held last week.
Also present at the Friday afternoon meeting were Teresa Knoedler '00 and Janelle Ruley '00, who have also made public statements in favor of eliminating the Greek system.
Knoedler and Ruley would not comment on the nature of their discussion with the committee.
Dentzer said the committee started their Saturday meetings at 7:30 a.m. with breakfast and continued throughout the day until a Hanover Inn fire drill around 8 p.m.
Dentzer said the next meeting of the steering committee will likely be in two weeks.
