At last night’s College Council meeting, the last of the semester, co-president Will Slocum ’99 sought students to serve on a committee to renovate dining halls. Aaron Dubrow ’99 signed up and needs two people to join him. E-mail opinions@wso.williams.edu if you’d like to join the committee, which will meet throughout Winter Study. Will also announced that there will be a thorough discussion about alcohol on campus over Winter Study in CC meetings, with a report going to the dean.

Ami Parekh ’01 gave a positive report that the College Council shuttle service to popular destinations was well-used last weekend. The Council will be looking for a new manager since the current manager is leaving for Winter Study.

John Rivera-Dirks ’99 passed along word that storage rules will soon be tightened. Specifically, things will have to be off the floor and in boxes in the storage rooms. There will be no furniture allowed after the end of this school year. After spring break everything must be labeled to avoid taking a trip to the dump. More details are forthcoming in the mail. Lloyd Nimetz ’01 thought the school should foot the bill for students having to use local storage companies over the summer. But Ami Parekh ’01 replied that most schools don’t offer storage at all. Owen Boger ’01 recommends the "mushroom factory" in North Adams as a fine storage option. Some CC reps suggested a CC-sponsored tag sale at the end of the year.

President Payne is coming to scoop ice cream in Baxter lounge for the stress-buster sponsored by MHINDS, Mental Health Information Discussion and Support. After MHINDS member Max Weinstein ’00 called the stress-buster a "transformative experience," Council voted 23-1-0 to fund three masseuses for the event at a cost of $450.

Lauren Siegel ’00 and Liz Lee ’01 from the Committee on Undergraduate Life reported on the committee’s recommendation that Williams establish substance-free housing in Hubble. Liz and Lauren noted that such programs have been very successful at Middlebury and Wesleyan and that Williams is among the last schools not to adopt such a program. Liz and Lauren also emphasized that this would be a one-year pilot program. In response to a question from Peter Krause ’02, Liz and Lauren stated that freshmen would not be allowed in the house. Lauren reassured Amish Shah ’00 that substance-free housing would be re-evaluated after a year or two to make sure it doesn’t turn into theme housing. Jan Postma ’99 pointed out that housing by groups violates the college’s mission statement. John Pearson ’00, on the other hand, likes the idea, though he and George Anthes ’00 think Hubble is too nice a place to set aside. Lauren defended Hubble, saying that choosing, say, Tyler Annex would physically marginalize the non-drinkers too much. But Nacho Stiefler ’00 replied that students who pick into a substance-free house are already receiving a frill so they don’t need an especially nice house too. David Walfish ’00 said that setting aside a house for non-drinkers would exacerbate the current housing crunch, especially for next year’s seniors. Julian Fang ’01 noted that, in picking their own rooms, students can already create suites that are "substance-free." But Lauren pointed out that this doesn’t always happen. Heather Matthews ’02 suggested setting up substance-free sections of houses to maintain some integration of drinkers and non-drinkers. She also advocated this as a way to accommodate as many students as want to be in a substance-free environment, as opposed to setting aside a single house that might fill up quickly. Lauren pointed out that recovering or at-risk alcoholics could benefit from an alcohol-free environment. Bert Leatherman ’00 replied that it is important to keep non-drinkers distributed throughout campus dorms as a way to keep the alcohol scene in dorms in check, especially so that heavy drinkers are able to observe people making alternative decisions. Will Slocum ’99 echoed the sentiment that withdrawing non-drinkers does not address the root of the problem of alcohol abuse on campus but is just an easy way to gloss over the issue. John Rivera-Dirks ’99 said no one he has talked to is in favor of the idea and that people need to learn to get along with people they live with. Carrie Ryan ’00 said all the e-mails she received from those she represents were in opposition to the idea. Eric Soskin ’99 pointed out that Lauren’s argument could be made for ethnic housing, and Carrie pointed out that the same argument also applies to single-sex housing, and that this is a slippery slope that could lead to one theme house after another. Eric also pointed out that people would have an incentive to pick into Hubble since it’s premium housing, and these people could drive out those who want to live in a substance-free environment. Medha Kirtane ’00 said that some freshmen in her entry would be interested in substance-free housing, especially since from time to time she observes pressure on her frosh to drink. But Ami Parekh ’01 said that substance-free housing is just a move that skirts the problem. Will Slocum ’99 said establishing a substance-free dorm belittles the alcohol problem on campus. In other words, just moving non-drinkers to a different house does little to address the root problem of alcohol abuse. Carrie Ryan ’00 asked if students could come home drunk, and Lauren replied that the house governance would decide that question. Julian Fang ’01 thought that was too loose a proposition. Nacho Stiefler ’00 and John Pearson ’00 said that substance-free housing has merit since it is hard to get away from alcohol in dorms. Lloyd Nimetz ’01 said that since no one but seniors can live off campus, a substance-free house gives students an option, though Lloyd says he is against substance-free housing. Eric Soskin ’99 said that setting people apart doesn’t help address their underlying concerns. Lauren closed by saying that students should be treated as adults and have the opportunity to choose to live away from alcohol.

Will Slocum ’99 gave a report on the progress of the College Council’s committee on class size, which met over the weekend. He said that CC reps will be looking into the issue in individual overcrowded departments by talking to profs and department chairs. Julian Fang ’01 said he has talked to some faculty members that want to help work on the problem. Carrie Ryan ’00 complained that juniors and seniors in certain departments, like sociology and art studio, are getting dropped in favor of freshmen. David Walfish ’00 and Erin Troy ’01 concurred, noting that intro courses should be open to anyone at a liberal arts institution. Bert Leatherman ’00, John Pearson ’00, and George Anthes ’00 hope that the upper administration and others who raise funds will consider seeking contributions for new endowed professorships rather than expensive facilities. They plan to draft a letter to this effect and present it to the College Council for endorsement.

In end-of-the-meeting miscellany, Carrie Ryan ’00 reported that she has been working to improve the fitness center, and Lloyd Nimetz ’01, Heather Matthews ’02, and Kristen Sullivan ’01 volunteered to help. Will Slocum ’99 lamented the fact that there is no access to Spencer Art Studio for non-art students. Lloyd Nimetz ’01 met with an art prof to try to get better access but hit the wall. (Hint: Student input at opinions@wso.williams.edu might help the effort along.) Julian Fang ’01 thinks the issue is more general — insuring more access to student spaces across campus. Johanna Kolodny ’01 said she has located someone willing to manage a student-run course-evaluation booklet, a project that Erin Troy ’01 is afraid will make popular classes even more crowded. Monisha Agrawal ’99 asked for lights for the outdoor basketball court, which also needs a fence to keep the ball across state lines. Ending the meeting on a high note, Anh Nguyen ’99 announced that free food will be delivered to Goodrich at a surprise hour every night from December 14 - 17 courtesy of the dean’s office.

College Council will resume meeting in Winter Study. In the meantime, send us your thoughts at opinions@wso.williams.edu. Good luck next week!

Bert Leatherman ‘00

College Council Secretary