LehighWeek Volume 09, Issue 05

              Get ready
to don your walking shoes!
Students, faculty and staff rallied on Thurs., Sept. 28 at
the Ulrich Student Center to show their support for the
upcoming American Heart Walk. President Likins and
Mark Erickson, dean of students, encouraged people to
participate in the 6.1 mile walk to promote healthy lifestyles
and raise funds for research, which will be held on Sun.,
Oct. 22, starting on Goodman campus.   Sponsors include
Healthy Choice and the American Heart Association, whose
representative, Susan Wylie, was on hand and will be taking
team registrations at (610) 867-0583.
 U	
What should make this walk stand out
is student involvement.
Peter Likins, during a kick-off meeting for walk
leaders in the Kenner Theatre of the Ulrich Student Center.
 ??	
Photo by John Kish IV
SOUTH MOUNTAINEER
LEHIGHWEEK
Volume 9, Issue 05
INSIDE THIS WEEK
NEWS
Four donors and two
faculty chairs to be
honored on Founders
Day, October 8
• Martindale Center
celebrates milestones
Student interns with
Historic Bethlehem
1-4
EVENTS
Photographs document
world's social tragedies
Pianist Charles
Abramovic performs
Former Mexican official
reports on NAFTA
5&6
PROFILE 7
ACHIEVEMENTS/JOBS
For the Campus Community
October 3,1995
CALENDAR
8
Feedback mixed on plans to correct
balance of residential system
SOUTH MOUNTAINEER
Golf finishes 3rd at Patriot
League Championships
9-12
>ay
by Robert W. Fisher, Writers' Group
From "an excellent framework for moving
forward" to "[the report] should be titled
'Fraternities — let's get them!'" alumni,
parents, faculty and students have offered mixed
reactions to the year's most emotion-charged topic, the
trustees' initiative to "strengthen the residential
environment at Lehigh."
The majority of responses to the trustees' report and
recommendations, released in June, concurred that bold
action must be taken to cope with the chronic shortage of
housing for sororities and non-Greek upperclass students
and to support the fraternity system, which is struggling
with low occupancy and deteriorating standards of
cleanliness, and strengthen
the intellectual environment
in all residences. From that
common ground, the
responses detail a variety
of philosophies about the
situation and throw a
number of new solutions into
the mix.
"This is not a war,"	
Kevin Clayton '84, chair of
the board's ad hoc committee charged with formulating
recommendations, told about 150 alumni gathered at
Volunteer Day. "Now is the time to ask ourselves simply,
'How can we do it better?'"
"We have not made any concrete decisions except to
get the job done," agreed Chairman Bill Hittinger '44. "I
don't want to prejudge the committee's recommendations,
but we've set the tone by saying we want to be bold,
forceful and courageous in doing what needs to be done."
Discussions between alumni, trustees and
administrators at the annual "Classroom Under the
Trees" on Sept. 23 mirrored the written feedback to the
committee, with pointed questions about some of the
trustees' assumptions balanced with expressions of
support.
Asked if the administration is "out to get" fraternities,
as some alumni have charged, Hittinger said that "We are
not out to weaken the Greek system...we must strengthen
it."
Hank Brandt '53 said that the proposed 90 percent
occupancy standard is "a very unreal expectation and
will only exacerbate the problem of [students] joining a
fraternity for the wrong reasons."
Hittinger replied that the capacity of houses is still
under study, and that the 90 percent figure is still a
proposal. "We're determined to get students involved in
setting the standards," he said. Houses will be given time
to comply with any new requirements, but Hittinger noted
that the empty beds represent "an underutilized
investment" and that, given the demand for housing,
"something has to give."
City Councilman Otto Ehrsam '41 said that the
housing problem is also a community relations problem.
"It has been a long time since the last dorm was built,"
he said. "There seems to
be a need to do more so
the option is there for
students who want to
be [on-campus]."
"If it is clear that we
must provide additional
living space, that will take
some time" for planning
and fundraising, Hittinger
said. "But I can assure you
that we will do it."
Clayton said that Dec. 1 is the deadline for students,
faculty, alumni and parents to comment on the report.
The Interfraternity Council, Greek Alumni Council and
other key groups have yet to comment officially. The
committee will present its proposal to the trustees for
action on Jan. 11.
"We've been meeting with alumni and house officers,
and now [the committee is] getting to the meat of the
issue, reviewing each and every written response,"
Clayton said. The committee is studying four key
questions: "Are we addressing the right issues? What is
the feedback on the recommendations? What are the
new ideas? And are they feasible, in the short-term or
long-term?" he said.
"The process is the right way," said Don Garaventi
'58, president ofthe Alumni Association. "It's our
responsibility — all of us — to provide that input."
This is not a war. Now is the time
to ask ourselves simply, 'How can
we do it better?'
Kevin Clayton '84
chair of the board's ad hoc committee
»
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