The College's Enrollment Committee yesterday unveiled a set of provisions to be implemented immediately to help prevent another Fall-term housing crunch.
Although there will be no sweeping changes, the College will attempt to make Fall-term enrollment less desirable for students and limit some of the flexibility of the Dartmouth plan.
The plan is broken down into eight parts aimed at reducing the number of students, specifically juniors, that are on-campus during fall term 1995. There were about 3,800 students the last two Fall terms.
In a letter to the Dartmouth community, the Enrollment Committee acknowledged that these are only short-term solutions to the problem.
If the short-term measures fail, the letter said the committee will consider modifications to the D-plan, adding new beds or changing enrollment numbers.
One provision, to be handled by the Registrar, will restructure the freshmen D-plan assignment process so every student does not get their first choice D-plan.
"Students have never been guaranteed they would get their first choice D-plan," Karen Wetterhahn, the Enrollment Committee chair said. "We don't want to impede their flexibility, we want to work with the students."
Also, sophomores who wish to change their enrollment plans from off-campus to residence status during fall term 1995 will be placed on "provisional status," the equivalent to being wait listed for a class.
If rooms becomes available, students who wish to be on campus Fall term will be offered housing.
"Our major concern is to avoid a repetition of this last fall because we were, in essence, turning students away," Assistant Dean of the Faculty and member of the Enrollment Committee Peter Armstrong said.
Another provision deals with the issue of fraternity and sorority rush.
The Senior Associate Dean of the College and the Dean of Residential Life will initiate discussion with the Coed Fraternity and Sorority Council to try to reduce the number of juniors who feel compelled to stay on campus for rush in the fall.
"The committee hopes the fraternities and sororities will make it clear that rush goes on year round," Wetterhahn said.
Wetterhahn said she sees no plan in the immediate future to move rush. "It is a last resort," she said.
The Enrollment Committee will try to move attractive off-campus programs to the fall and talk to associate deans and departmental chairs about the shifting of sequence classes from fall-winter to winter-spring.
Finally, the Registrar will discuss the possibility of giving juniors lowest priority for limited enrollment classes during fall term.
"We're quite optimistic that we will be able to succeed," Wetterhahn said.
The memorandum of provisions is a response to a report by the ad hoc enrollment subcommittee.
