Residential Council

Present: Michael Blitstein, Chad Farell, Andrew Golodny, James Katz, Sanders Kleinfeld, Andrew Lom, Charles Williamson, Evan Metcalf, Mario Sturla

Absent: Alissa Levine, Ari Adland, Leah Scherzer, Joshua Troy;

Also in Attendance: Ms. Meredith Eddy and Dean Thomas Forsberg of the Office of Residential Life

II. Topics to Be Discussed During the Semester Ahead
A. Aspects of the Morriss-Champlin renovations that should and should not be included in the upcoming Emery-Woolley remodeling.
B. Requirement that program houses pay a $50 fee to the Student Activities Office to register their lounges for social events.
C. The status of cooperative housing in the program house system.
D. The costs and benefits of upgrading to 2-ply toilet paper in residence hall bathrooms.
E. Use of the kitchen on the Alpha Chi Omega side of Sears House.
F. Chad shall henceforth be referred to as "Skip."

III. Committee Reports
Program House: Harkness and Diman social dorm elections will take place this Friday (9/21) at 3 and 4 P.M. Michael would like help from council members.

IV. The Chair took requests for committee assignments from the members of the council.

V. Morriss-Champlin Renovation
A. People are generally happy with all of the changes.
B. Members have received positive feedback about the new suites and improved lighting.
C. Coed suites - There is the possibility that the Mo-Champ suites could become co-ed, as they each have two single-use bathroom facilities.
D. Laundry rooms - Dean Forsberg stated that the decision to move the laundry rooms from the basement to every floor was quite costly. He asked for feedback from the council to determine if this change should be made in future renovations.
E. Lounge furniture - Much of the new lounge furniture was stolen. Some pieces have been returned. ResLife hopes to obtain the rest during an upcoming room search.
F. Laundry facilities
1. Hooks might be useful for hanging certain articles of clothing.
2. If driers are non or semi-functional, students should call Residential Facilities at x3-3502.
G. Any input on the Emery-Woolly reservation must be received within the next two weeks.

VI. Toilet Paper: 2-ply vs. Spools of Burlap
A. 2-ply toilet paper may be less expensive. In addition, students may use less of it as the current variety.
B. After discussion, the motion to upgrade to 2-ply if the cost is not greater passed unanimously.VII. The Status of Cooperative Housing
A. Co-ops are not currently part of the program house system. They own their property and are consequently exempt from many university regulations.
B. Dean Desrochers was going to research the history of co-ops at Brown.
C. The Chair and several members stated that during the last housing lottery, BACH recruited members during segment V (after Super Deadline Day). This behavior left at least one freshman without a roommate and put the program houses at a serious disadvantage.
D. The co-ops buildings are reputed to be in poor condition.
E. Students living in co-ops are currently under the purview of the Providence Police Department, not BUPS. BUPS is thought to be more concerned with students' safety and overall well-being than Providence police.
F. Mike will contact the co-ops and request that representatives attend next week's meeting (9/25).

VIII. Lounge Use Fee
A. The Student Activities Office charges program houses $50 to register their end lounges for social functions.
B. Dean Inman has told members that the fee was originally recommended by a student committee. The rationale was to put program houses on equal footing with other student groups that must pay for social use of university facilities.
C. Program houses are required to host activities. Requiring them to pay to do so is unfair.
D. The money that student organizations pay goes to police and custodial services for the event. It is unclear what program houses pay for, as they are responsible for cleaning up their lounges.
E. Council members were curious if there is a fee to register social events on patios (e.g., barbeques).IX. Andrew adjourned the meeting at 12:50 P.M.

Respectfully Submitted by James Katz '03, Acting Secretary, Residential Council