Members of the Arts and Sciences faculty voted yesterday to support recommendations by the steering committee to review Senior and Undergraduate Societies, Affinity Houses and Programs and to introduce new guidelines for alcohol and other drugs.
The only spirited discussion centered around the fourth proposal offered at the faculty meeting -- for faculty members on the steering committee to report annually to the faculty on the implementation of the recommendations for changes resulting from the initiative.
The motion wound up passing after an amendment proposed by religion professor Susan Ackerman was included that called for the steering committee faculty representatives to monitor process in implementation of the faculty's recommendations from the Feb. 15 meeting.
While the proposal wound up passing like the others, debate arose over the wording of the motion and whether it implied faculty support for all of the committee's recommendations.
The faculty voted 81-0 at the Feb. 15 meeting to go beyond the steering committee report and urge the administration and Trustees to withdraw College recognition from all Coed Fraternity Sorority organizations once additional living space is made available.
Some faculty were concerned that by agreeing to help in the implementation process they would be implying agreement with all of the committee's recommendations, although they differ on the Greek issue.
English professor Tom Luxon, who was instrumental in the faculty's call for the derecognition of the CFS system, said he would not have a problem participating in the process even if he was not pleased with all of the recommendations that were accepted.
However, Luxon said he is confident the Trustees will go beyond what the committee finds and recommend possible CFS derecognition.
Ackerman stressed the distinctiveness of the faculty's call for derecognition and the need for the faculty to keep informed about what progress is being made on it.
Following the approval of the four Initiative motions, Dean of the Faculty Ed Berger delivered his annual address to the Faculty of the Arts and Sciences.
In a year dominated by Initiative discussion, Berger said other projects are also going through. He cited the new Humanities Center and Institution for European Studies as two initiatives that are moving along well.
He also touted the achievements of the faculty in garnering grants, and ended by thanking the Computer Science faculty who took over Rex Dwyer's classes after he resigned from teaching in the midst of the cheating scandal.
