RGA Hears Plan To Re-Establish Double Reporting

Kathleen O. Elliott, dean of South House urged at yesterday's RGA meeting the revival of "double reporting" in connection with Radcliffe's honor system as it applies to sign-out rules.

"Double reporting" requires a student to report not only her own infractions of the rules but also the misdemeanors of others that she observes.

As far as anyone knows, double reporting has never officially been dropped from Radcliffe regulations. The definition of the honor system that has prevailed at Radcliffe in recent years is that a girl must be honest in her own actions, but she is not responsible for keeping track of what others do.

This attitude has caused special problems this year because of new, more liberal social rules. Freshmen in particular have not been made properly aware of the need to act responsibly, and according to one dorm president, "they are using up their one o'clocks like mad, they ask for two and three o'clocks like water, and they have accumulated more penalties for infractions than any preceding freshman class."

Decide for Herself

Other dormitory presidents feel that not all the laxity is the fault of freshmen. Some upperclassmen act as though the rules don't mean anything, since a girl can decide for herself how late she wants to stay out.

Dormitory officers, who are required to enforce college rules, have had a particularly burdensome job, especially in those dormitories with large numbers of freshmen. "We greatly resent having to act as policemen this year," said one President, and Dean Elliott agreed that House committee members "have more responsibility than they can bear." She added that "there was a greater feeling of responsibility among students when they had double reporting."

Both she and Catherine D. Williston, Dean of North House, felt that double reporting would encourage "a community responsibility to make the rules work, and would help the officers to enforce the rules."