Council Won't Make Guidebooks

Citing financial concerns and time constraints, the Undergraduate Council Sunday night narrowly voted down a resolution to produce student-oriented guidebooks to the Houses.

The books, intended to help first-years select houses for next month's lottery, would have cost the council a maximum of $2,100, said Hassen A. Sayeed '96, chair of student affairs committee. Sayeed was one of the resolution's three sponsors.

The resolution failed by a vote of 25-21.

The guidebooks would have included two or three page descriptions of each house, written by a member of the respective house committees, Sayeed said.

Jennifer W. Grove '94, a Kirkland House delegate and former chair of that house's committee, spoke up against the resolution at Sunday's meeting.

Grove said student-written reports in previous editions of the administration's Inside the Houses guide were both hard to compile and unhelpful.

"It was always hard to get people to write them, which puts a time constraint on the U.C.," especially with the housing lottery approaching rapidly, Grovesaid in an interview yesterday.

She also said the descriptions written bystudents in the guide inevitably "sounded prettymuch the same."

"There wasn't really anything to distinguishthe houses from one another," Grove said. "Theyall pretty much said, 'my house is a cool place tolive."

But Sayeed defended the resolution, saying thebooks could have been helpful.

"Those pithy paragraphs in the official guidearen't very helpful," Sayeed said.

Justin C. Label '97, the student affairscommittee vice-chair who cosponsored theresolution, also said the spirit of the housescould have been effectively conveyed in thereports.

"What [the administration] chose to eliminate[form this year's guide] was probably what wasmost helpful to the students--the unofficialstudent perspective--what the mystique andcharacter of each house is," Label said yesterday.

Label noted that the student affairs committeeplans to continue work on the guidebooks for thefuture.

"We still think the idea is a good one, and weplan to get it through next year," Label said.

The guidebook resolution was the only one onSunday night's docket.

In other news, council President Carey W. Gabay'94 reported that he had met with Dean of StudentsArchie C. Epps III about the "Yard-fest." Thiscouncil-sponsored festival will include bands, acookout and various other activities, and isscheduled to occur during the last weekend inApril.

Gabay said Epps' office was "enthusiastic"about the plans.

During the report from the campus lifecommittee, David V. Bonfili '96 said Saturday'sMachinery Hall concert was "not as much a successas it could have been" because many councilmembers "didn't support it as much as they couldhave."

"It was a success in that those who wentenjoyed the show," Bonfili said yesterday. "But wedidn't draw perhaps as many people as we couldhave."

Bonfili said he asked council members to "takea look at themselves and their commitment to thecouncil.

If they're not committed to the council, theyshould resign and make room for those who are."

Re-evaluation

The council re-evaluation committee is workingtowards proposing formal recommendations to reformthe council's constitution, council spokespersonJonathan P. Feeney '97 said yesterday.

The re-evaluation committee meets very Sundayat 4 p.m. and will hold a meeting this Wednesdayat 8 p.m. The meetings are held in the counciloffice, and anyone with ideas about reforming thecouncil is encouraged to attend, Feeney said

She also said the descriptions written bystudents in the guide inevitably "sounded prettymuch the same."

"There wasn't really anything to distinguishthe houses from one another," Grove said. "Theyall pretty much said, 'my house is a cool place tolive."

But Sayeed defended the resolution, saying thebooks could have been helpful.

"Those pithy paragraphs in the official guidearen't very helpful," Sayeed said.

Justin C. Label '97, the student affairscommittee vice-chair who cosponsored theresolution, also said the spirit of the housescould have been effectively conveyed in thereports.

"What [the administration] chose to eliminate[form this year's guide] was probably what wasmost helpful to the students--the unofficialstudent perspective--what the mystique andcharacter of each house is," Label said yesterday.

Label noted that the student affairs committeeplans to continue work on the guidebooks for thefuture.

"We still think the idea is a good one, and weplan to get it through next year," Label said.

The guidebook resolution was the only one onSunday night's docket.

In other news, council President Carey W. Gabay'94 reported that he had met with Dean of StudentsArchie C. Epps III about the "Yard-fest." Thiscouncil-sponsored festival will include bands, acookout and various other activities, and isscheduled to occur during the last weekend inApril.

Gabay said Epps' office was "enthusiastic"about the plans.

During the report from the campus lifecommittee, David V. Bonfili '96 said Saturday'sMachinery Hall concert was "not as much a successas it could have been" because many councilmembers "didn't support it as much as they couldhave."

"It was a success in that those who wentenjoyed the show," Bonfili said yesterday. "But wedidn't draw perhaps as many people as we couldhave."

Bonfili said he asked council members to "takea look at themselves and their commitment to thecouncil.

If they're not committed to the council, theyshould resign and make room for those who are."

Re-evaluation

The council re-evaluation committee is workingtowards proposing formal recommendations to reformthe council's constitution, council spokespersonJonathan P. Feeney '97 said yesterday.

The re-evaluation committee meets very Sundayat 4 p.m. and will hold a meeting this Wednesdayat 8 p.m. The meetings are held in the counciloffice, and anyone with ideas about reforming thecouncil is encouraged to attend, Feeney said