The Student Assembly debated a proposal to fund residential gaming facilities in the East Wheelock residential cluster and Topliff residence hall Tuesday night after Nick Taranto '06 briefed Assembly members about ongoing Katrina Help activities.
The proposal, which was sponsored by East Wheelock cluster representative Bo Li '09 and Topliff cluster representative Zak Moore '09, called for the allocation of $700 of the Assembly's budget to the purchase and shipping of two foosball tables to be placed in East Wheelock and Topliff. Both representatives said that residents in their clusters had expressed a desire for gaming facilities closer to their dorms than those in Thayer Dining Hall and the Collis Center.
"We've gotten an enormous amount of interest in this," Li said. "All during my campaign, people approached me about getting games closer to the dorms."
Moore also stated that the foosball tables would contribute positively to the residential social scene.
"They are a good alternative to alcohol," Moore said.
Moore is a member of The Dartmouth staff.
Many Assembly members, however, took issue with the seemingly arbitrary placement of the tables, noting that the games in other clusters often go unused or are in poor condition.
"The games in Collis have been a big disappointment after so much money was spent on them," Thiago Oliveira '06 said.
Another member brought up the problem of balls being stolen, to which Li answered that the prospect was unlikely.
"These balls are too heavy for other games," Li said.
Foosball requires a solid plastic ball, much heavier than the hollow ball used in other popular games like beer pong.
After much debate, Niral Shah '08 motioned to amend the proposal so that it would only be carried out following a campus-wide survey to determine interest within the affected residential clusters. The Assembly passed the proposal with Shah's amendment.
The Assembly also hosted Taranto, who spoke about his recent trip to Biloxi, Miss., and the steps Katrina Help is taking to extend its efforts beyond the Dartmouth community.
Taranto called for the Assembly to allocate $4,000 of its budget to the production of a professionally produced 10-minute documentary about the upcoming student trip to Biloxi, as well as designate $3,000 for the trip itself, which has already been funded in large part by the College.
Taranto stressed that the video would be crucial in getting alumni, other Ivy League colleges and possibly even politicians involved with Katrina Help's efforts.
He added that Dartmouth is invested in establishing a relationship with the Biloxi community, and that the video would provide valuable publicity.
"We are trying to establish a long-term contact there," Taranto said. "We want to get the whole community into this process."
The Assembly also discussed feedback from Monday night's suggestion table at Novack Cafe, at which 88 students wrote suggestions, which ranged from installing a Greenprint terminal at the Hopkins Center to equipping all campus vending machines with DASH card readers.
