The Board of Trustees is expected to receive an update on the status of the report on the Student Life Initiative but will not be hearing any definitive information during their regularly scheduled Fall meeting this weekend, according to Trustee Chair William H. King, Jr. '63.
Because the Steering Committee is still in the process of wrapping up its proposals for the future of social and residential life at the College and have not finished writing up the final report, any decisive information would be premature, King said.
Other items on the agenda this weekend include the future of graduate programs, the Development Committee, the Committee on Financial Affairs and the Committee on Facilities Planning, King said.
With the report of the final recommendations to the full Board due on Jan. 10, 2000, this weekend's breakfast with the Trustees has aroused significantly more interest than in the past, resulting in a waiting list of more than 20 students.
Although a waiting list is not uncommon, this year's list of 20 to 25 students is larger than in the past, according to Associate Dean of the College Janet Terp.
Six members of the Board of Trustees --Susan Dentzer '77, Nancy Jeton '76, King, Stanford Roman, Jr. '64, David Shipler '64 and Kate Stith-Cabranes '73 -- are expected to attend the 8 a.m. breakfast at the Hanover Inn on Saturday. About 54 students are expected to join them.
According to Dentzer, the Trustees never approach a breakfast with an agenda, but rather let the issues that concern students dictate the discussion.
"I would be confident that [the Initiative] would come up, but the Trustees have no expectation that it has to be the full topic of conversation or even a topic," Dentzer said.
Frequently discussed topics at past breakfasts include life in residence halls, athletics, administrative policies, the student government and funding.
"This is not a one-way street by any means, but an opportunity for open dialogue and an exchange of ideas," King said.
Dentzer said the Trustees always enjoy informal discussions with students because their schedule on campus often does not permit them much time to talk with students, making the breakfast a unique event.
"The breakfast is valuable for us to hear what students have on their minds because it is a good and useful two-way exchange on a variety of issues," Dentzer said.
According to Terp, announcing the breakfast was done in a traditional manner with an advertisement in The Dartmouth. A BlitzMail message was later sent to the deans and directors of the College encouraging them to Blitz individuals and organizations they work with to participate.
