Commission's first forum elicits discussion

Topics discussed yesterday at the Commission on Strengthening the Community's open forum focused on only two aspects of the Commission's preliminary report. Most of the hour and a half forum, the first of two planned, was spent discussing the ramifications of assigned housing and delaying fraternity and sorority rush. Commission Director Rebecca Bushnell began the meeting by laying out the forum's purpose. "The purpose of these open forums is for [the Commission] to listen to the community," Bushnell said. "We are interested in your comments and reactions." After a quick question about a student-run judiciary, the following 45 minutes were consumed by heated remarks on the "randomized" housing issue. Associate Nursing Professor Rosalyn Watts first broached the subject of assigned housing. "An expected outcome is that, after one year [of assigned housing], students will have the opportunity to make an authentic decision on where they want to live," Watts said. "Right now, there is a major disparity in the cost of housing and some [incoming freshmen] have more information to make a decision," she added. "The freedom of choice is a quasi-choice." Many students in attendance expressed great interest in the matter. Juanita Irving brought up the sentiments of many students in attendance. The College senior said she would not have enrolled at the University without the W.E.B. DuBois College House. Irving said she and many others developed a pride and understanding of their African-American heritage by way of DuBois College House. "Many blacks arrive at [the University] on the verge of hating and loving themselves," Irving said. "Without DuBois, they are going to hate themselves, and there are going to be less productive blacks in the community." Wharton junior Nicole Maloy agreed, saying she feels comfortable returning every night to a house of people who share her perspective. "There are mostly white people on the track team and on Locust Walk, but then I am able to go home," Maloy said. The only Commission member to write a dissenting opinion on assigned housing, Sociology Professor Samuel Klausner, said he does not agree with the Commission's idea of in loco parentis, or the ability of the administration to know enough to structure students' lives. Commission member Louis Pollak, a United States District Court Judge, described Klausner's assertions as "dramatically unpersuasive." "The proposal allows first-year students to have a complete undergraduate experience -- most [freshmen] being ignorant to make a decision," Pollak said. "In their sophomore year, they can make their decision -- if they want to segregate, they can." College sophomore and editor of The Vision Chris Lake disagreed with both Pollak and Klausner and said he was insulted that they referred to blacks living in DuBois as self-segregating. "You have your white family to go home to," Lake said, pointing to Pollak. "I have my black family to go home to at DuBois." In order to prevent the housing discussion from taking the entire hour and a half, Bushnell stepped in to direct the conversation in another direction. With only 40 minutes left, though, College junior and Interfraternity Council President Hayden Horowitz proceeded to speak for 20 minutes against the Commission's suggestion to delay fraternity and sorority rush until sophomore year. Horowitz spoke of the stereotypes of fraternities, the mutual process of rush, the economic ramifications of delaying rush and the overall benefits of having fraternities on campus. Horowitz offered two proposals for the Commission to consider on the IFC's behalf. First, he suggested delaying and shortening rush to the period between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This would allow pledging to fall in the second semester, he said. He also suggested the formation of a Greek Task Force which would review the "feasibility" of the Commission's proposal.