Von Stade Questions Union Proposal, Suggests Alternate Lunch Restrictions

F. Skiddy von Stade '38, dean of freshmen, said Thursday he does not think the Freshman Council's proposal to bar residents of Adams, Quincy and Lowell Houses from eating in the Freshman Union would alleviate crowding.

Renee Landers '77, and Davis Goodman '77, president and vice president of Freshman Council, met with von Stade Wednesday and decided the council would research the numbers of upperclassmen eating in the Union this week and reach its final decision on the issue next Monday.

"Depending on what the figures are, I will urge the Freshman Council to think in terms of other alternatives," von Stade said.

"I just don't think this gimmick will work," von Stade said. "My own feeling is that Adams, Quincy and Lowell don't send many students over."

Von Stade also said he doubts the feasibility of a proposal to allow students in Adams, Quincy and Lowell to eat lunch in the Union if they opened their Houses to interhouse.

"Adams and Lowell have fairly small dining rooms and large houses," von Stade said. "I suspect they've placed restrictions so that they can keep the dining rooms relaxed."

Landers agreed with von Stade on the basis of figures she has already compiled. "I just don't think it will work. The numbers aren't sufficient," she said yesterday.

Gordon Atkinson '77, the freshman council representative who originally proposed the amendment, said that he had hoped to work with Adams, Quincy and Lowell on a bargaining level. "I don't think that any of the three Houses would be swamped if they all opened up and changed their policies simultaneously," he said.

All three agreed, however, that the Union is crowded and that some action must be taken.

"We should start thinking about ways of de-populating the Union," von Stade added. "We used to think we were crowded with 1200 meals. This year there have been as many as 1700 lunchtime meals taken in the Union."

Von Stade suggested that the increasing problem of lunchtime crowding could be attributed to the rising number of afternoon classes.

In past years, restrictions have been placed upon upperclassmen eating in the Union. "The first restriction was that no more than the first 200 upperclassmen were allowed to eat, and the other was that upperclassmen could eat in the Union either at 11:30 a.m. or 1:30 p.m.," von Stade said.

"If the statistics do finally bear out my own feelings, I will try to redirect council members in terms of the practices we had in the past," von Stade said.