Political Queers, the political arm of the Dartmouth Rainbow Alliance, has decided not to re-apply for affinity housing until Winter term.
Political Queers requested affinity housing for the DRA during Spring term. They were told at the time to refine the proposal and resubmit it, according to Dean of Residential Life Mary Turco.
Dean of the College Lee Pelton said in April the proposal was rejected primarily because it had no association with an academic department, which is a necessary requirement for groups seeking affinity housing.
To solve this problem, the group will form a faculty committee of professors who teach gay and lesbian studies, Political Queers co-founder BreeAnne Clowdus '97 said.
According to Clowdus, the group's application for housing will undergo no major revisions. The revised application will elaborate on how the proposal would benefit other affinity houses and be more specific about what programming is planned, she said.
A new faculty advisory committee, formed by Pelton, to review affinity housing policies and requests, will meet at the end of this term.
The committee will consist of Pelton, faculty members from each of the departments that sponsor affinity houses and personnel from ORL.
Pelton said when Political Queers' proposal is submitted, it will be examined by the faculty advisory committee on affinity housing.
At the end of the term, the committee will review 10 to 12 other requests for group housing, including six new requests for affinity housing, Turco said.
Turco said she is unsure how the limited space that is available on campus will be divided among the groups.
"It's difficult to make choices when you've got many deserving requests," she said. "We're looking for advice from faculty and others about which proposed programs to provide institutional resources for."
Selection of proposals will be based on the benefits to the college and the students and sufficient student interest to sustain the program over time, Turco said.
Pelton said he will have the final say in all decisions regarding affinity housing.
