University of Virginia Library

New Visitation Policy In Dorms
Endorsed By Student Council

At a lengthy meeting last night,
the Student Council succeeded in
passing the first of three related
motions concerning the making and
enforcement of dormitory
regulations by Students. The other
two motions were tabled until next
week's meeting of the Council to
clear up questions that need to be
answered by administrators and
other people who were not at the
meeting.

All three of the motions were
drafted and proposed by Pieter
Schenkkan. The motion that passed
unanimously last night read as
follows: "The power to make and
enforce rules concerning visitors of
the opposite sex in University
Housing shall be delegated to the
residents of the dormitory areas as
follows:

Rule-Making Authority

"Initial authority to make rules
shall be vested in the Alderman
Road Committee, the First-Year
Committee, and similarly
constituted Committees to be
created for the Monroe Hill Houses,
the Lawn and Ranges, and McKim
and Mary Munford dormitories.
Elections to the First-Year
Committee shall be held during the
second week in October; new
members shall take office
immediately following the election.

Elections to the other
Committees shall take place no
later than October 1. Each
residential area shall be bound by
the rules set by its Committee of
the previous session until its new
committee takes office, and the
First-Year Committee shall
continue to sit until its successor is
installed. Rules formulated by these
committees shall be subject to final
approval by the Student Council.

"Cases involving infractions of
these rules shall be handled by the
Dormitory Residence Councils, as
currently constituted; Councils
shall be set up along parallel lines
for McKim and Mary Munford, and
for the first-year dorms. Elections
and term of authority for the
Residence Councils shall be parallel
to those of the committees.

"Cases may be appealed to the
Review Board, and further appealed
from this body to the Dean of
Student Affairs, who may decrease
but not increase penalties
imposed."

Lengthy Debate

Debate on the second of the
three motions was lengthy over
whether or not to allow first-year
men, in Residence Councils, to
enforce rules made by The
First-Year Committee. The motion
was tabled, but reads as follows:

"The power to make and
enforce dormitory rules and
regulations other than those
concerning visitors of the opposite
sex shall be delegated to the
residents of the dormitory areas to
the extent and in the manner
prescribed below:

"A. First-year dorms: the
first-year Committee shall
formulate rules and policies
governing conduct in the dorms,
and forward its recommendations
to the Student Council, which shall
negotiate final rules with the
Director of Housing, the University
Housing Committee, the
Department of Security, and other
University administrators and
institutions currently charged with
decision-making powers over the
dorms.

"Enforcement of these rules
shall continue to be the
responsibility of the dormitory
counselors and their Executive
Committee, whose decisions may
be appealed to the Committee on
Counselors.

"B. Other University Housing:
Initial policy-making shall be the
responsibility of committees of the
individual dormitory areas and, in
the case of married student
housing, of the Married Students'
Association. Recommendations
from these organizations shall be
used by the Student Council in
negotiating final rules with the
relevant authorities.

"Enforcement of these rules
shall be the responsibility of the
Dormitory Residence Councils of
the dormitory areas, where they
now exist, or in parallel
organizations to be created where
needed. Appeals may be made to
the Review Board, and from that
body to the Dean of Student
Affairs, who may reduce but not
increase penalties imposed.

"Dormitory counselor programs
that exist in these areas shall be
removed completely from the
authority of the Housing Office,
and their Executive Committees
shall report directly to the
Committee on Students. Counselors
in these areas shall have no
disciplinary functions or powers
not enjoyed by any other resident
of their dormitory area."

Mr. Leigh Middleditch, legal
counsel for the University, attended
the meeting and said that he saw no
difficulties, legally, for the Board of
Visitors to delegate such authority
to the Students if it so desired.

Bick Cardwell, Chairman of
Counselors was in favor of the
motions because it would make the
dormitory counselors true
counselors and sources of
information instead of "someone to
crack the whip."

He said "I think the first-year
men are capable of handling minor
disciplinary problems," when asked
if they should have the power to
enforce their own regulations, as
would the upperclass dorms under
these motions. However, an
amendment to the second motion
to allow this failed to get a
majority.

Mr. Cardwell was concerned
with the rights of the landlord, in
this case the Housing Office. He
advocated certain guidelines be set
by the Housing Office that would
be immune to the legislation of the
committees.