New, strict U. Council rules frustrate members, discussion

It was a mess. First, the University Council's new moderator almost cut off all discussion on kicking ROTC off campus before anyone had said anything. Then, the Locust Walk Committee chair was cut off halfway through his presentation and told he had just one minute left to summarize a year's-worth of work. Finally, members of the Council were left with all of 60 seconds to discuss what the character of campus will be in the next 30 years. Needless to say, Council members, who are often prone to lengthy discourses, were a mite upset. "I am outraged that the rules designed to encourage discussion were used to stifle it," said undergraduate representative You-Lee Kim. In a continuing attempt to bring order to what at times were almost chaotic meetings, members of Council have set rules to limit the occasional ramblings of overzealous student leaders and verbose professors. But yesterday they seemed to have gone too far. Yesterday's Council meeting marked the debut of a new moderator, Law School Professor Elizabeth Warren, and a new parlimentarian, University Archivist Mark Lloyd. Both were given strict orders by Council's Steering Committee to stick to the rules. And stick they did. The meeting was almost constantly punctuated by Warren's warnings that time was running out or that comments were out of order or that a motion had to be made before anyone could discuss an issue. And at times, even she seemed at a loss for words. "What are we supposed to do now?" an exasperated Warren asked the 35-member body when Biochemistry Professor Emeritus Adelaide Delluva asked to speak. The move to bring more order to monthly meetings of University Council began over two years ago when debates about the freshman diversity awareness seminars broke down into chaotic shouting matches rather than orderly meetings. After both faculty and students complained they could not be heard, President Hackney gave up his role as chair of Council to a moderator and stricter parlimentary procedures were followed. "Until several years ago, there were a number of moderators, then there was a hiatus," said Statistics Professor David Hildebrand, who served as the first moderator after Hackney. "Then they got some crazy Stat professor to do it." Although much of Council members' frustration was taken out on moderator Warren, Hildebrand said she is not at fault. "The moderator is the traffic cop who follows the instructions of the Steering Committee," he said. "As the ex-moderator I felt considerable sympathy for her . . . I would hope that we don't turn this into a growl-at-the-moderator sort of situation." Hildebrand, who is chair-elect of the Faculty Senate, said the Steering Committee will probably discuss the strict rules at its next meeting. But Locust Walk Committee Co-Chairperson David Pope said the problems with Council's procedure may be more enlightening than frustrating. "We looked as stupid as we are," the material sciences professor said.

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