In response to student demands for more gender-neutral campus social spaces, the College has created a Social Life Committee to investigate expanding alternatives to the Greek system. The committee, whose student membership was announced Tuesday, aims to submit a report to the College by June.
The committee is comprised of seven administrators and nine students, including unaffiliated students and leaders of Greek organizations.
"Its not just about social space, its about the social experience -- our campus tends to divide itself up," Student Assembly President Travis Green '08 said. "One of the many ways to bring them together is in social spaces."
Students have proposed several ideas for new social spaces on campus, including replacing the Choates Residence Cluster with themed housing, according to Corey Chu '08, who was involved in the committee's selection process.
"In the Foley House, the only requirement to live there is you need to make food for the house once a week," Chu said. "That's a place where there's a common interest in making food once a week. What about themes where a hobby is widespread?"
The Choates would make an ideal social space because of their proximity to Webster Avenue, Chu said.
A subcommittee of the SLC will examine housing options for Alpha Phi and Alpha Xi Delta sororities. The College has secured two houses on South Park Street for the sororities, but many believe that the houses are too small, according to Jessica Lane '09, the president-elect of the Panhellenic Council and a member of AZD .
The SLC is still in its preliminary stage and may invite a professor from another institution to conduct a "culture audit" of Dartmouth, Dean of the College Tom Crady, who will chair the committee, said. The auditor would talk to students and hold focus groups to identify various social needs.
Crady's experience as vice president of student services at Grinell College will aid the committee's efforts, he said. At Grinell, Crady oversaw the construction of the Rosenfield Center, which more than tripled the amount of social space on the campus. The center includes a new dining hall, a multi-cultural center and a basement pub.
"We significantly alleviated a lot of space issues," Crady said. "Its still to early to say if it was a success, but the feedback has been very positive."
Although Grinnell is smaller than Dartmouth and does not have a Greek system, Crady said his efforts at Grinnell are still relevant to the College.
"I can't say I will propose a brand new social center, but I do have a pretty good idea how to move issues along," Crady said. "Particularly on finding out the needs of the College."
Green and Chu, who participated in selecting applicants to the committee, said they hoped the members would represent a diverse group of Dartmouth students.
"As an unaffiliated person, I hope they focus on unaffiliated life on campus. We make up roughly a quarter of students on campus and their voices are not as easily heard as other groups," Chu said. "I urge other people on campus who are unaffiliated to get involved with the committee."
Student members of the committee include Green, Lane, Interfraternity Council President David Lindenbaum '08, Panhellenic Council President Kate Robb '08, Allen Buansi '09, Molly Bode '09, Hayley Steplyk '08, Lena Martinez-Watts '08, Emily Eberle '09 and Anise Vance '11.
Administrative members include: Crady; Dean of Residential Life Martin Redman; Dean of Upperclass Students Rovana Popoff; Joe Cassidy, associate dean of student life; Holly Sateia, special assistant to the president for institutional diversity and equity; Sylvia Spears, associate dean for pluralism and leadership, and Xenia Markowitt, the director of the Center for Women and Gender.
