IHC Minutes: April 13, 2005
meeting called to order in Parsons-Gates
absent: Erik Dreyer;
guests: Margo Marshak, Tom Mannion, Stan Borodinsky, Qing Liu (for Erik Dreyer)
- Activity Fees
- For next year, separate fees will not be shown in the
admissions information for students. Instead these fees (for things
like ASCIT and house dues), will be rolled into tuition.
- The administration will pay each house $35 per student per
term living in the house. Students not living in the house will still
need to be billed through the Bursar's office.
- Jacob raised the concern that off-campus (or in unaffiliated
housing) students will be paying for house dues twice, because these
costs were folded into tuition and these students are charged again by
their houses.
- Mike Chang raises the point that this does not simplify
accounting for the houses, because most houses do not have $35 dues,
so these houses will need to either credit or bill extra all students
who live in the house.
- Arturo raises the concern that unaffiliated students will now have
to pay house dues, but we have no idea where that money is going.
- Stan clarifies that all houses will give the same billing info to
the Bursar that they always have, and the Bursar will figure out how
much each student should be charged so that no student is charged any
extra. In essence, the Bursar will add up all house-membership fees,
subtract $35, and charge the student that amount. (The only exception
is that if a student is completely unaffiliated, then they will pay
$35 into a general fund for events for unaffiliated students.) So,
houses will receive the same amount of money, and students will be
paying the same amount of money, but students' bills will look
different.
- Qing raises the issue of Avery residents. The answer is that
Avery will get $35 from the activity fee fund for residents of Avery
that say they are Avery members. Avery will also get $35 for
residents that are non-members, but this money will not be charged to
the non-members (who will be paying their fees to either their houses
or maybe the unaffiliated fund) -- it will come out of a different
fund of money.
- There is debate over whether or not the above counts as Avery
house dues. On the one hand, tuition has increased for all students,
but house dues decreased $35 for all students besides Avery members.
However, Stan argues that the tuition increase is independent of these
other issues -- that is, because tuition has increased, and the
administration is now subsidizing $35 of house dues.
- Peter announces that there will be a lot of alums around on May 21
because of various alumni events. Houses can request lists of these
alums if they want to contact them for house events.
- The Avery constitution has passed, although the protest period is
not quite over. Next Wednesday, they will elect house offices,
including reps for the BOC, ARC, etc. Avery is discussing passing
some sort of amendment allowing Erik to be elected Chancellor on
Wednesday, although he is not technically eligible.
- Prefrosh Weekend
- Ruddock wants to publish the BFD during Prefrosh weekend. Matt
Walker will e-mail a copy to the IHC for approval.
- Blacker wants to leave their Moebius strip up in their dining hall;
the IHC approves by informal acclamation. Also approved are leaving
some additional decorations from their interhouse party up.
- Some prefrosh students will be going to an academic competition
during prefrosh weekend, and Caltech is sponsoring this trip (has
gotten a bus)
- Mural Policy
- All houses currently have a mural policy.
- Margo Marshak reports that some donors and trustees are very
upset over the presence of murals, graffiti, and damage to the walls
of the houses. No data has been collected on overall levels of
support for or displeasure with house murals, nor is there any
information on distinctions among these groups between murals,
graffiti, and damage.
- Arturo reports that at 8am last week someone came through
Ricketts and spray painted over "objectionable" material. This
happened in other houses as well, without any prior notification to
any students. It appears that admissions ordered Tim Chang to make
this happen.
- Jacob reports that the method in which this painting-over occurred
has caused a backlash in which students are increasing the level of
obscenity on the walls.
- Margo Marshak and Tom Mannion report that they are upset at the
manner in which this occured, and Tom agrees to investigate how and why
this happened.
- Qing wants to discuss whether or not Avery can hold an
informational meeting about the house during Prefrosh weekend. The
IHC believes such a meeting would not be appropriate.