Student turnout was surprisingly low at four town meetings organized by the Student Assembly to gather student opinion on the door-locking policy over the past three nights.
Eight students were present at the discussion held in McLane Residence Hall lounge last night, but two were Assembly representatives facilitating the discussion, and only a few students attended each of the other meetings.
Acting Dean of the College Dan Nelson and Assembly president Josh Green '00 were present at the Massachusetts Cluster discussion, but the only student present was a photographer for The Dartmouth who went to take pictures of the event.
Green said he felt there are two reasons for the poor turnout. He said the campus has already been through the door-locking issue once -- last spring when the administration's intention to lock the doors was first announced to students.
"I think it's rare that there is an issue that people get riled up about twice," he said.
Green said he also believes students know the administrators are aware of their voiced concerns and therefore felt there was little need to discuss the issue again.
"I don't think student opinion is ambiguous on this issue," Green said.
When the administration announced the door-lock policy last Spring term, the Assembly voted in favor of the measure followed by outcries and shock from the student body.
"I think one of the main problems in the spring was the students felt that they didn't have their say," Green said.
The Assembly president said he sees it as his role to communicate student opinion on this issue.
Different from the past, there has been much more interest in what students have to say, Green said. "There is an understanding that people know what the students think."
Despite the minimal attendance at the week's town meetings many students responded to a BlitzMail survey sent to all students inviting them to express their views on the possibility of locked dorms.
Although Green said he feels that the committee did a pretty good job gathering responses from the student community, Green said his fear is how students are going to feel if their clearly expressed their opinions are ignored.
"My hope is that ... [Nelson is] going to come to a decision that reflects an understanding that students have a role in the community," Green said.
