Interhouse Committee
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February 3, 2004



Present: ALL :
Guests: Priolo, Andrea Kung (IHC Chair's running…), Alex Shim

Introductions
Tom introduces Zac
Jessie introduces Hesper

OPI March 6

Food Stuff-Natalia
Fleming Food Rep didn't show up-BOOO Toby
Chicken stuff-hamsters-are valuable now, so only one per person
Claim that it has been this way forever-everyone laughs
Tell your Food Reps to complain about this

Natalia wants three-some Lloyd and Dabney

Elections
BoC Chair elections-tomorrow, statements should be by box, on-line
Only one person running right now-hope things go well or it goes to Excomm
Jeremy replacement is this coming Monday

Jeremy was suppose to meet with Margo-she cancelled on him
She stood you up for another guy
Managed to get on her schedule for Thursday

Avery-Frosh-Kim Border thing
Alex Shim organizing all these faculty meetings: He met with Margo and Kim and is trying to get this whole frosh in Avery thing
Avery had a meeting on Sunday, from the minutes it sounds like very few people showed up
What's the status? Where does it stand right now from admin. Side
What's the process? Is Kim going to run to Faculty Committee and vote that they should live in Avery and then go to Faculty Board…and then what happens from there?
Talk…? Start talking to ppl on Faculty on the Housing Committee
It seems like both UG and G are pushing for it…because they want Avery to be more of a House-want to be part of Rotation-problems Avery has would be alleviated if it became a "House"
Only reason they are doing this is for Avery House-and not for Frosh; Rotation is for Frosh
They think they can be a half between-More of a community (House) but still Avery
Because they don't have a leadership they can't be part of Rotation
Alum wouldn't be happy about frosh in Avery-they still don't know what the function of
How about Mr. Avery? Does he want it? If he doesn't, then that will help-what if he does though?
Yuan and others think that leadership at a high now and people care, but no one showed up so how is that good leadership?
How to proceed?
Ask frosh what they would have thought-would they have gone for the House or Avery
Also there is the aspect of honor code and culture
Frosh missing out on something? Not as much as what they think, but what is usually a better thing for them
First experience with college is tough, and so freshmen need support that they might not have, that transfers might not need
Transfers-a lot of them live in Avery: But they are given the option-and they have had a college experience, etc

Alex:
Had a meeting in Avery about it (only 4 ppl showed up-not a lot of ppl care about thing)
Wanted to address the most extreme opinions that ppl wanted
How to do this? Go door to door
How will it be beneficial for frosh to live in Avery? As it is right now, not good for frosh, but there can be changes (example: North Houses)
What is the advantage of Avery over other Houses? Some people don't like Housing system
Not a place for people that want to op out of Rotation
Some houses have a strong identity, and people don't want to associate with these images
Some people are kicked out of their house because of frosh moving in-not kicking people off campus, moving them around, because Frosh that want to live in Avery will, and the upperclassman that want to live in Houses will (not Avery)
People that are living in Avery, don't like the Houses, and that's why they are there-but now they want to be an Avery
Shim: there doesn't need to be the house-no house dichotomy
Barett: Frosh will make it a house or it won't be enough of a house; can't make it into a house without changing the things that make Avery what it is
Shim: grad students like Avery; they participate; that shouldn't prevent Avery from being a House
Tom: Avery community is ppl that are dissatisfied by the house, the community likes that-and if you bring the frosh in, then you are bringing in ppl that aren't dissatisfied and therefore changing it
Jessie: what would the changes be and would the community be okay (if frosh lived there)
Shim: work with IHC, etc. to take the positive aspects of the Houses (UCC system, frosh taken care of; Arranged dinners, if the people in Avery think that Frosh there need it, then okay;
Tom: at what point does Avery become a House (what a segment of the population living there DID NOT want); it seems like the direction this is going in is one where Avery is an eight house
Shim: Renovation Committee thought that Faculty living in Houses in not great, and there are benefits to living with grad students and faculty
Neda: but how will they get to know that they want to meet these ppl when they are just getting to know their own classmates, etc
Shim: Kim Border's method isn't the best, going through with Frosh in Avery without consulting the students; but if students and faculty could live together and then get to know each other, then there can be better understanding
Natalia: how will ten frosh with 3 faculty change things?
Shim: well year after year, that adds up-more influence…faculty are important part of this campus, get to know them and it will help
Barette: even if there is great exposure, it won't be that influential, because these are already the faculty that what to communicate with students
Shim: the 3-1 stud-fac ratio is what students come here for, don't get in Houses-can get that in Avery
Neda: again there are selective profs that do this
Penny: two issues-avery becoming a house vs avery taking freshman
Don't need frosh to "become" a House
Shim: need frosh to be spirited, etc. to lead the houses-without frosh to put their efforts into Avery, then the House Community will die out
Jessie: how many students live in Avery because it is an alternative to the Houses-because once frosh live there, they no longer think of it as an alternative
Shim: can make it into a House and keep the alternative aspect
Jessie: what percept think of it as an alternative?
Shim: 50% of ppl want to live there because they like the House

Need a better feel that four people to figure out if the people of Avery want frosh there or not
There should be a don't care option-because don't want an eighth house then (and won't be there for the frosh)
Where is this going?
Is this going to happen for the next year…next three years?
Shim: next year
Where is the strength of the leadership/UCC
How the leadership is right now, isn't going to work
UCC-Shim: contact Fred and talk to him
(Lammers assumes that people don't like Page)
Start this without frosh and run it through and see how it goes, before bringing in the Frosh
Need people that have experience before getting frosh
Work on making Avery into a House-then bring Frosh
More importantly, do the majority of students (and those in Avery) want to make Avery into a House-shouldn't be made by an elite few, made by the most number of the students
Jeremy's major concern: leadership in Avery is a small tight core-but there isn't the support of the House, this is a huge change, the campus doesn't support it…and the ramification of the changes are not being considered; main reasons considered are what's best for Avery, and not the Frosh (and that is what needs to be considered)
We want this dealt with by the students and not by some Faculty Committee, we want the ramifications taken care of before things get started-concern for the IHC
Talk to Kim and tell him not to run to Faculty Committee before everyone is ready for it

Shim: Think of it as a proposal right now and work on it
Work with Avery Council, IHC, and Housing Committee
We need IHC's help
What do we need?
You need to convince us that this is a good idea
Avery as a whole wants to-then they need to come up with a plan, and then implement it
The you need to work with IHC
Right now, need to work with Avery-get a sense of what they want, etc
Council doesn't always move as one body always, weren't sure about frosh in Avery for a term and some
Had a proposal, but didn't formalize it because didn't think IHC would like it

Need a poll of people-how many of them returning, how many of them like the idea, how many of them UCC
Jeremy making a POINT: a proposal written right now would be weak-that Avery wants this, that frosh would be helped
Shim: didn't come here to convince, but as a first contact, later come with better plans
Jessie: get house backing, get a real plan of why good for avery
Jeremy more than glad to come to council meeting-so that he can take one for the team
Avery: 150 students
~25 grad students


House Renovation Committee Report
Present at Faculty Board Meeting: Mon Feb 9
Already presented to Trustees
Melany Hunt will put up overhead about this
Feed back from students-Melanie said she doesn't think that Margo will go along with that
Tom and Mr. Daniels expressed his shock while drinking Jack

Meeting next week: Tuesday 11 PM




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Last modified 03-05-03