While most students consider Summer term a chance to relax, the news in Hanover this past term was as busy as ever.
The College continued its tradition of using the summer as a time for enacting new rules for the Greek system with the announcement of two new policies at the beginning of the term.
The first was a ban on outdoor consumption of alcohol at all Greek houses. The new policy is based upon the Student Life Initiative principle of consistency among all types of residential buildings. Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman allowed that some exceptions will be granted for certain events.
At the same time, the College announced that Safety and Security would begin conducting unscheduled walk-throughs of all Greek houses. This announcement was widely criticized both for its content and the lack of student input in the decision-making process.
The upshot was a delay in the implementation of the policy, which allowed Greek leaders to discuss the issue with administrators. Instrumental in these negotiations was the Greek Leaders Council, an organization of house presidents formed to take the place of the Coed Fraternity and Sorority Council during the summer.
The GLC submitted several proposals to the administration before brokering the final settlement, in which houses are given advance notice and inspections are conducted once a week.
Tubestock, the annual inner-tube party on the Connecticut river, was held again this summer with about 600 people attending. The event was preceded by a new uncertainty about its future. For the first time, Rick Ackerboom '80 decided to not sponsor Tubestock. Despite an unsuccessful attempt by students to get a permit from the New Hampshire Marine Patrol, the event took place with little trouble.
In a decision which drew strong criticism from the American Civil Liberties Union, Redman denied an appeal by Zeta Psi fraternity to overturn their spring-term derecognition. According to Redman the appeal was delayed until late August because of a lengthy period of information gathering.
The Zete derecognition case caused the Boston Phoenix, a weekly newspaper, to award College President Wright a "Muzzle Award," given annually to an "anti-free speech zealot."
The College also released the Greek Life Steering Committee report after seven months of meetings. The report recommended a minimum GPA of 2.3 in order to join a Greek organization and a revamping of the social event monitoring policy.
The credibility of the report was damaged when several committee members complained that they were never given an opportunity to see a final copy of the report before its release.
"The committee was merely set up to give the impression of student involvement," said Ryan Clark '01.
Advances were made in the implementation of door locks. The lock system, which has had to overcome technological difficulties and privacy concerns, is currently set for completion in the winter of 2002. The system is currently planned to be campus-wide, involving both residence halls and academic buildings and will require new identification cards to be issued to students.
The College has also struggled to help students find housing after a shortage caused by a higher-than-expected yield from the Class of 2005. Incoming students were offered a year's worth of free room and board if they would defer entrance for a year.
Susan Dentzer '77 was elected as the Chair of the Board of Trustees in June, taking over for William H. King Jr. '63. Dentzer played a large role in the release of the SLI.
