Beginning next fall, student organizations will be able to hold office space in Robinson Hall only if selected through a newly instituted application process.
All student organizations -- whether they currently hold space in Robinson Hall or not -- will be required to complete a formal application by May 15 in order to acquire or retain office space in Robinson Hall for the 2002-2003 academic year.
The change was propelled by complaints from student groups who have been unable to gain office space in Robinson Hall, according to Patrick Connelly, assistant director of the Collis Student Center.
The application process will "allow greater access and greater accessibility to offices in Robinson for all student groups," Connelly said.
"We've received numerous requests from student groups who are looking for space to be able to maximize their programs," he explained.
Although Connelly said he did not know how many groups will submit applications, he noted that his announcement has generated much reaction from student organizations.
"If the feedback we've received so far is any indication, I think we're going to be receiving an overwhelming number of responses," he said.
Once received, the applications will be reviewed by a committee of students -- drawn from the Committee on Student Organizations, Student Assembly, the Graduate Student Association and the Collis Center Governing Board -- and administrators.
Group membership, visible annual contributions to the Dartmouth community and utilization of current and future space will all factor into the committee's recommendations.
The recommendations will then be submitted to Collis director Joe Cassidy, who will ultimately decide which organizations receive space in Robinson Hall.
Organizations currently housed in Robinson Hall will receive no preferential treatment in the application process, Connelly said.
"This year we're starting from scratch," he said. "We're making everyone go through the same process to be fair."
Leaders of organizations currently housed in Robinson Hall voiced mixed reactions towards the new policy.
"I'm excited that we do have this opportunity to apply," acting Dartmouth Outing Club president Eleanor Alexander '04 said.
"I think this is a great opportunity for the DOC to get more space," she explained.
As the largest student organization on campus -- claiming one-quarter of all undergraduates among its membership -- the DOC operates out of only one room within Robinson Hall.
"I'm glad they're asking for our input," Alexander said. "Hopefully, this is an opportunity for our club to flourish on campus and not always in the woods."
While Alexander expressed hope for the DOC's potential expansion, she added that the bureaucracy surrounding the new policy is a nuisance.
"I feel bad to make my club heads do this instead of running trips," she said.
Cabin and Trail Club co-chair Beth Rabbitt '04 agreed.
"It's tough thinking that a club as big as Cabin and Trail has to justify its presence on campus," Rabbitt said.
Leaders of other organizations housed in Robinson Hall shared similar beliefs on being made to apply in order to retain their ground.
"As a general concept, I think that unfortunately, this particular process is adversarial," Aegis editor-in-chief Vickie Potterton '02 said. "It's more about defending our space."
Potterton argued that priority should be given to groups who actively use their office space rather than those who only need storage room.
"Student organizations that focus on producing things need that sort of space," she said.
On the prospect of the Aegis benefiting from the application policy, Potterton said, "I don't think it's very realistic that we'll acquire more space. It's more about maintaining the space we have."
The Dartmouth, which leases its office space from the College, is the only student-run organization currently housed in Robinson Hall unaffected by the new policy.
