Dunster Decides Against Selecting CRR Nominees

Dunster House members last night defeated, by a three to one margin, a resolution to form an eleven man committee that could have chosen Dunster representatives for the Committee on Rights and Responsibilities (CRR).

Dunster's decision not to form the selecting committee, and therefore not to send members to the CRR, is the first action by any House under the new CRR selection procedures established by Faculty legislation of January 12.

The new procedures stated that CRR student representatives would be chosen from an eleven man committee selected at random from among sophomore and junior House members. These eleven men in turn would decide whether to name one, two, or no nominees at all to the CRR.

Unsigned statements opposing and in favor of the resolution were passed out together with ballots at lunch and dinner yesterday at Dunster. Roger Rosenblatt, Master of Dunster House, said, "I was disappointed at the outcome of the voting but not at the procedure. Both sides of the issue were presented and people did not vote purely out of reflex."

House committee chairman, Mark Kaplan '71, said the results were expected. "The results of the voting were predictable but not the margin of the tally (39 to 132)," he said. "The one thing I noticed was that people were not voting down the procedure of choosing CRR members but the concept of sending representatives at all to this particular CRR."

Under the new selection procedure, each House, the freshmen, and three graduate groups, are allowed to form one eleven-man committee. From all nominations, the chairman of the CRR will select four.

Kaplan said, "If only four of these panels decide to send members, the CRR will have its students. Thus 23 students (a majority of the 44), a tiny portion of the 6000 undergraduates, could be enough to 'validate' the CRR."

None of the other Houses have acted on the new selection procedure for CRR members this term. Quincy House, which originally had voted not to send a representative to the CRR, but reversed the decision, will hold a referendum concerning the matter next week.

Michael L. Ryan '72, Quincy House Committee chairman, said he just received information on the new procedures today from Dean May. "The House Committee held a meeting about the issue and was very strongly against following the procedure and sending a member to the CRR," Ryan said.

Mather House has also posted information about the new selection process but will wait until next week to decide whether they will send a representative to the CRR.