Heavily endorsing recommendations made by the January steering committee report, the Board of Trustees announced this morning the culmination of the first phase of the Student Life Initiative launched in February 1999.
The Trustees' full announcement and Dean Larimore's Memo are available here on The Dartmouth Online.
Despite opposing recommendations by the Student Assembly and the Coed Fraternity Sorority Council, the Board threw its support behind steering committee recommendations such as the removal of taps and bars from CFS basements, the continued moratorium on the formation of new single-sex selective organizations, the discontinuation of the CFS Judicial Council and the move of rush to Winter term.
The Board also endorsed the development of an extensive residential life system, including the ideas of clusters and possibly common houses linked to each residential hall.
The Trustees acknowledged the importance of centralized dining and authorized an expanded student center, recreational center, flat-floor space and renovations on campus dining facilities, including a dining hall on North campus.
The administration is charged with the construction of 500 beds within five years and 600 beds within 10 years.
Starting with the Class of 2005, no more than half of incoming first-year students will be housed in freshmen-only residence halls. The housing system -- and accompanying extensive first-year programming -- will be reviewed in five years.
The Board "endorses the focus on alcohol education and counseling" put forth by the steering committee and the College Committee on Alcohol and Other Drugs.
The Board called for a review of the D-Plan -- an aspect of Dartmouth life not broached in the steering committee report and one of the only elements in today's announcement incorporating student feedback -- with the possible long-term move to a "regular calendar" should faculty and students find it "an attractive and feasible" option.
The Board acknowledged the faculty again in its discussion of the CFS system, citing the concerns of that group over the Greek system.
The Trustees admitted not all Greek houses are the same, saying that some violate the principles and standards of community but that all should have the "opportunity to demonstrate the ability to meet" higher standards.
Those standards fit closely with steering committee recommendations including residence and minimum membership requirements and the ability to improve facilities as required by a College-financed audit.
Other specifics mentioned in the steering report -- such prohibiting summer term residency and allowing only seniors and junior officers to live in Greek houses -- were not detailed in today's announcement.
The administration is charged with implementing standards, although the ability of the Dean of the College to derecognize the system at any point is not specifically mentioned.
Should a house decide to leave the CFS system, it will immediately be derecognized and lose all benefits of College recognition.
The Board affirmed that "College recognition of CFS organizations is a privilege."
The Trustees said they consider CFS organizations part of the larger campus residential and social system, not one that operates "outside of, parallel to, or in opposition" to College residential life.
Fitting with this theme, the Board endorsed a specific controversial plank of the steering committee report -- the recommendation for undergraduate advisors to live in CFS houses.
Reviews of both progress on the World Cultures Initiative and selective senior and undergraduate societies are both called for by the spring of 2001.
The Board promises full financial support for their proposals, calling for money to be raised through fundraising, debt and endowment utilization.
Progress on the guiding principals set forth today will be assessed annually with a full review in 2006-7.
More information will follow throughout the day.
