New CHP reforms living group evaluation

It was out with the old and in with the new as Campus Council voted unanimously to pass the Collaborative Housing Process at its meeting Thursday.

The CHP is a response to the administration’s decision that another housing shuffle, like the one that occurred this January, will not occur. It is constructed to ensure residential group accountability to the community while rewarding positive stewardship and community involvement, said Campus Council President Stephen Temple, a junior. CHP incorporates the formation of the Approval and Removal Committee and a new Residential Group Assessment rubric.

“I’m really impressed and it will really address a lot of concerns for affiliate groups, but at the same time this is a process that stays true to independents and addresses groups,” Temple said. “It’s very fair and clearly outlines expectations.”

“The old process was unduly punitive,” said Campus Council Vice President John Pryor, a junior.

Under CHP, the RGA committee will comprise four unaffiliated student members, two representatives from the Interfraternity Council, two representatives from the Selective House Council and a staff adviser. The new rubric is much more specific, Temple said. It assigns specific point values and states requirements, like requiring groups to host six open events per year.

Temple said RGA scores will be gathered annually and sent to Campus Council for consideration. Campus Council will then examine the scores and isolate any outliers—groups with particularly low or high scores—and then forward a list of these groups to the ARC. The ARC will decide if low-scoring groups will be placed on probation and also award incentives like TVs or basketball tickets to high-scoring groups.

ARC can also choose to punish or reward groups not referred to it by Campus Council, Temple said.

He also said groups cannot be on probation for more than two years. ARC has the ability to take groups off probation or take away their on-campus housing. Temple added that groups without housing will have the ability to submit requests for housing to ARC. Groups that already have housing can apply to ARC for a new section. ARC will evaluate these requests on a case-by-case basis. Temple noted that groups will only be able to move sections if space is available.

“Just because a group wants to move doesn’t mean they can,” said Joe Gonzalez, associate dean for residential life.

According to the CHP handbook, ARC will have a membership proportional to the population of West Campus, with five unaffiliated members, one representative from IFC and one from SHC.

ARC will be jointly chaired by the president of Campus Council if he is unaffiliated and by the executive director of Residence Life and Housing Services. If the president of Campus Council is affiliated, Campus Council will choose one of its unaffiliated members instead. The executive director of RLHS position is currently vacant.

Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta, Dean of Undergraduate Education Steve Nowicki, Terry Lynch, RLHS assistant dean for Central Campus and Deb LoBiondo, RLHS assistant dean for West Campus, will be members of ARC. Two additional staff members chosen by the ARC co-chairs will also join the committee.

Two stipulations IFC and SHC requested were to have representatives present at the meetings where Campus Council selects staff members and independent students to serve on the ARC, and to make the director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life a voting member of ARC, Temple added. Campus Council granted these requests, but the director of the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life can only vote when ARC is considering a fraternity.

The council emphasized the importance of collaboration with the ratification of CHP. To support this initiative, Campus Council has made the CHP handbook available on its Web site and has created a survey to encourage students to submit feedback on the new process.

In other business:

The council voted to award $1,640 to the third annual McKids Fest, a fundraiser sponsored by McKids, a student-run organization dedicated to volunteering and fundraising for the Ronald McDonald House of Durham. McKids Fest will feature student performance groups like DefMo, the Pitchforks and Panda Force. The event will offer free food, drinks, T-shirts and prizes. The fundraiser is April 23 on the Bryan Center Plaza.

Campus Council Facilities and Services Chair Douglas Hanna, a freshman, announced that the committee has received approval to purchase a reverse vending machine. The committee is also purchasing ice machines and a photo machine to be installed in McClendon Tower, Hanna said.