DEANS APPROVE SUBSTANCE-FREE HOUSING IN WOOLMAN

The deans have approved Housing Committee's proposals to increase the
number of coed rooms, add an all-female hall and create substance-free
housing in Woolman House. They have also approved a multicultural
educational hall.

No theme housing will be available to first-years, excluding single-sex halls.

Having added two versions of theme housing to a campus that until now
has had virtually none, the deans have decided to put a cap on future
theme housing. Any group that wants to propose another type of housing
in the future will have to prove its idea more viable than a current
form of specialty housing, which it would supplant.

"Our philosophy of residential life is that you need a cross-section
of people in all locations," Dean of Resident Life Myrt Westphal said.
"The deans are feeling like we're taking a lot of spaces out of what
we call 'typical dorm space.' We don't want to create too many
communities of like-minded people."

She said that was the reason campus groups with their own space -- the
Black Cultural Center, the Women's Resource Center and the
fraternities -- do not have their own living arrangements.

Starting next year, all rooms in Worth, Roberts, the Lodges and Mary
Lyon basement will be available for coed pairs. Coed housing is
currently only available in Worth I and J, the Lodges and ML basement.

The third floor of Dana will become all female to make up for female
housing in Worth that will become coed. Westphal said there had been
more demand for single-sex housing among female sophomores but that
males had not requested it.

The 22 rooms in Woolman will be available as substance-free housing.
Students will apply for the dorm before the housing lottery without
requesting specific rooms. Those with the highest numbers will acquire
spots in the dorm and select rooms later based on their numbers.

The deans requested that the substance-free dorm require a
substance-free lifestyle of its residents. In other words, Westphal
said, students will not "take their noise, their mess to other
locations" and then return to a clean, quiet living space.

A survey that Jim Maiolo '03, David January '03 and David Mister '04
created before writing their proposal for substance-free housing
revealed that 32 percent of the campus would approve of a
substance-free lifestyle hall. Nearly twice that number voted in favor
of a substance-free dorm without the lifestyle provision. 230 students
answered the survey.

The college attempted substance-free housing for "at least three
years, probably in the early '90s," Westphal said, but it was
unsuccessful. "People retreated to their rooms and closed their doors.
It was just a nothing kind of life." She said people were choosing to
move into the hall for the space and to avoid being disturbed.

She hopes next year's substance-free housing will be more of a "group
of people who want to be together and do fun things." The hall will
put together one all-campus substance-free social event each semester.
Resident assistants in the substance-free dorm will have normal RA
duties and will not necessarily lead additional programming.

Before the housing lottery for next year, students will be able to
apply for one of substance-free housing, multicultural housing or blocks.