UA supports plan for Locust Walk

The Undergraduate Assembly endorsed the Diversity on the Walk Committee's report last night, calling on President Sheldon Hackney to set an "expedient" timetable for change in the center of campus. In a resolution passed at their meeting last night, UA members also urged Hackney to form an oversight committee to review progress in changing the residential make-up of Locust Walk and pledged to provide suggestions for Hackney to work with. They also criticized Hackney for limiting the Walk committee by not allowing its members to consider the removal of Walk fraternities. The UA declined, however, to officially recognize the Walk committee's report because Hackney did not follow the UA's constitution when he appointed undergraduates to the committee last year. According to UA by-laws, the Nominations and Elections Committee must appoint all undergraduate representatives to ad-hoc University committees or the UA will not recognize the group. Hackney himself chose all the Walk committee members. "Our constitution does not allow us officially to recognize the committee or its final report," the resolution states. "Despite our constitutional prohibition, we feel the Locust Walk issue is too important for us to remain silent because of a bureaucratic device." UA members "urged President Hackney to work with the UA and the NEC when forming an ad-hoc committee" in the future. Some members argued against the resolution last night because they said criticizing Hackney for his charge to the committee weakens the UA's statement of approval. "We should say 'We like what you did' without any buts," College sophomore Jen Berrent said at the meeting. "That seems to discredit it." And College junior Lee Eggerman said he thinks the statement implies that the UA wants fraternities kicked off Locust Walk. But despite the objections, the resolution passed 16 to five after UA members rejected an attempt by College junior David Rose to attach a specific plan for the Walk to the group's statement. Rose's proposal was based on the committee's suggestion of moving Locust Walk office space into a high rise and making more student housing on the Walk by spring 1993. Rose said after the meeting that as long as the UA develops its own recommendations and demands action from the University, "the UA is fulfilling its obligation to students and to diversity on the Walk." "We called for a combined committee in order to take action on the issue and that's something the UA hasn't done before," Rose said. The UA's Minority Concerns and Facilities and Campus Planning Committees and its Student Service Task Force will present UA members with a specific plan for the Walk at the next meeting in two weeks. In other business, UA members also commended the University for its new acquaintance rape policy, released during the summer.

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