In a heated four-hour meeting last night, Student Council members opted not to officially support retaining students' choice in first-year housing and listened to many community concerns regarding a racial slur against Native Americans contained in another resolution proposed last Tuesday.
Council decided to admonish the administration for the lack of student involvement in a proposal to eliminate a choice between the Alderman and McCormick Road Residence Areas. Members also called for a lottery system to decide the priority of housing choice rather than the current system, which bases the order of assignments on the order in which admission deposits are received.
University officials have proposed that instead of allowing entering first-year students to decide whether they want to live in Alderman or McCormick Residences, the students will be assigned randomly to a residence area. An ad hoc enrollment committee of five administrators made the decision over the summer.
After a lengthy debate, Council members decided to not give a formal opinion on whether first years should be able to choose their housing assignments because they felt it would be necessary to gather more opinions first.
But individual Council members leaned toward supporting the administration's proposal, even as they condemned the lack of student involvement.
Council President Joe Bilby said he supports the enrollment committee's proposal.
"Formally, we've made the statement that there needs to be more student opinion," Bilby said. "At the end of tonight's debate most of the representatives informally gave their support to the enrollment committee's proposal" to eliminate choice in first-year housing.
First-Year Council President Preston Lloyd said he tried to gather first-year student opinion and spoke on their behalf at the meeting.
Lloyd said the majority of first years do not support eliminating the choice between Alderman and McCormick residence halls.
Council Executive Vice President Matt Madden said the Council resolution will be sent to the enrollment committee, Executive Vice President Leonard W. Sandridge, Provost Peter W. Low and William W. Harmon, vice president for student affairs.
Sandridge, Low and Harmon all have the power to enact the committee's proposal.
Madden also said there is a possibility Council will reopen the issue once representatives can gather more student opinion.
Another resolution on the agenda last night drew a crowd of over 30 people who voiced their opinions on a racial slur against Native Americans in a resolution proposed by College Rep. Justin Pfeiffer last week to recite the Pledge of Allegiance before Council meetings.
In the resolution, which was not passed, Pfeiffer said he is constantly reminded of the forefathers of the country who "fought the savages."
Four community members expressed concern over the word "savages" and two letters were read from members of a local Native American tribe.
Pfeiffer apologized for bringing a debate about American history into Council but he said he still maintains his own views on Native Americans.
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