SLC to discuss co-ed policies

Whether the Student Senate decides to comply with dean of Student Life and Services Charlene Cole-Newkirk's co-ed housing plan depends heavily on today's meeting of the Student Life Committee (SLC).

The SLC, which has a two-year old Student Senate co-ed housing proposal on the table, will meet today to decide whether to vote on it. It may also decide whether or not to support Cole-Newkirk's housing proposal. The Senate proposal calls for divided doubles and quads to be made available to roommates of opposite genders on a limited basis. Cole-Newkirk's plan proposes that a dorm be renovated and some of its rooms changed into suites of varying sizes.

During the past few weeks, Student Senate has attempted to rally support for its proposal by meeting with administrators and sponsoring a Senate run speak-out where "civil disobedience" was called for in order to bring about the implementation of co-ed housing. During the Senate's Sunday night meeting, senators discussed the speak-out. Senators voiced different opinions about its success.

"[The rally] was phenomenally weak," said senator junior Chapin Benninghoff.

"A lot of people thought the language was too strong and trivialized what we were trying to do," senator sophomore Matt Green said.

Senator sophomore Dan Persky said, "We just changed the playing field. . . but that doesn't mean we need to back down ... we showed that we can do something. We are capable of acting on this. We can get Dye concerned about this."

Much of Senate's debate centered around whether to keep its idea, first publicized at the speak-out, of compiling an alternative Fussers to list the correct housing for those who live in co-ed rooms afloat.

"This is a very politicized world we're dealing with. . . Keep it quiet so we can wheel and deal," Benninghoff said.

But others disagreed and felt openess should be emphasized. "We as student senators have the responsibility to publicize that the administrators are talking out of both sides of their mouths," senator senior Noah Bopp said.

The intended message of the speak-out, Bopp said, was that "the administration screwed us over with co-ed rooms, but you can do it anyways."

The administration is standing behind its proposal to create suites, though to go forward with any concrete plans it needs to gain the approval of the Board of Trustees.

"As I've said, my position - as it has always been - is that this is not an issue that the College should seek to make a policy about," Dye said in an interview Monday. "The College is not in a position of accommodating or encouraging domestic relationships or enabling them to break up, either."

Dye said she wanted wanted to make it clear that efforts to implement co-ed housing would be the beginning of a larger, long-term change in the way residential life exists. The change would be from the traditional dormitory housing that currently exists to buildings made up of town houses and suites.

The Senate decided to hold to its plan of encouraging students to cohabitate if no administrative plan is implemented within the next year.

Dye said she does not know what action the administration would take were the Senate to implement it plan. She said a problem with the Senate's plan was its sense of immediacy. According to Dye, the plan wants to skip many of the checks and balances.

Associate Professor of Politics Chris Howell, a member of SLC who voted in favor of the Senate's co-ed housing proposal, said that the civil disobedience plan is a good one.

"I think it's ingenious, frankly," Howell said. "It essentially creates a parallel housing policy which doesn't require the agreement of the College."

On Wednesday, four senators, a former SLC member and senior Hal Connolly, who is a current member of SLC met with Dye to discuss the co-ed housing proposals.

However, after the meeting with Dye, those who attended seemed willing to go along with college created plans, providing their input as a part of the process. "We focused mostly on co-ed rooms and then went on to relations between the students and the administration," said senator sophomore Joshua Kaye.

Kaye noted that the Senate proposal still has a chance to become official, if it passes SLC and make it through the General Faculty.

Senator sophomore Andreas Pape said, "It depends entirely on what response Cole-Newkirk gives to the SLC. I don't think there's anyone particularly set on it going to the GF. It won't necessarily be the best forum for that debate."

The SLC meeting this afternoon will most likely show the direction that the co-ed housing proposal may take.