North House Residents Raise Money for Cable

In response to a house committee vote against purchasing cable television service, several students in the Jordan section of North House have raised the money for cable themselves.

Three Jordan residents--Randall A. Fine '96, Gregory F. Corbett '96 and Eugene E. Kim '96--have already collected the $140 needed to install a cable line in their section. They said the money came from other annex residents.

"We went around to people in Jordan [on Monday] and got $140 worth of commitments to get cable in Jordan for the rest of the semester," Fine said. "We got the House Master's permission and the people from Continental Cable vision are coming on Friday to set it up."

The house committee vote came in spite of a poll of North House residents showing overwhelming support for installing cable in one of the house's common rooms. The poll found that 118 out of 189 students were in favor of spending $140 to have cable for the rest of the semester.

But at its meeting on Sunday, the committee voted 9-7 against using the poll as the deciding factor.

Instead, committee members agreed that if $70 were raised at a dance co-sponsored by the house this weekend, the house committee would match this amount and use the total to activate the cable lines already in place in both North and the Jordan annex.

Fine said that the ease with which he got the funds for cable in Jordan showed him "how ridiculous this whole thing was."

But Andrew K. Lee '96, the house committee representative from Jordan, said yesterday that he voted against having cable in North House because he believed his constituents were opposed to having it.

Lee said that, prior to the vote, he received feedback from between 30 and 35students who attended a "milk and cookies" meetingat which one of topics of discussion was cable.

"None of the People who organized [the Jordancable drive] showed up to milk and cookies, evenwhen cable was the issue," said Lee, noting thatthe topics of the meetings are announcedbeforehand.

Fine, however, said that Lee had told theorganizers of the Jordan cable drive that he hadvoted for cable at the house committee meeting.

"When I asked whether or not he voted forcable, he said something along the lines of 'Well,it would appear so."

But Lee denied having told anyone how he voted.

"Confusion might have arisen because there weretwo votes," he said. "I voted against using thepoll to decide whether or not to get cable, but Ivoted for cable on the condition that thefundraiser would get $70."

Others at the meeting, however, said yesterdaythat they felt that the wishes of the residents asrepresented in the poll should have beenrespected.

Macros D. Velayos 95, one of the co-presidentof the house committee, said he agreed with theverdict of the poll. He also said he wanted thecommittee to give full funding to activating thecable lines in North.

"I told the committee that I didn't understandhow they could vote against something the Houseclearly wanted," Velayos said. "I was disappointedin the house committee vote and I know that manystudents are angry with the committee's decision."

A North resident who attended the meeting butdid not wish to be named said: "Ignoring the voteof the House residents is failing to recognize ademocratic idea.

"None of the People who organized [the Jordancable drive] showed up to milk and cookies, evenwhen cable was the issue," said Lee, noting thatthe topics of the meetings are announcedbeforehand.

Fine, however, said that Lee had told theorganizers of the Jordan cable drive that he hadvoted for cable at the house committee meeting.

"When I asked whether or not he voted forcable, he said something along the lines of 'Well,it would appear so."

But Lee denied having told anyone how he voted.

"Confusion might have arisen because there weretwo votes," he said. "I voted against using thepoll to decide whether or not to get cable, but Ivoted for cable on the condition that thefundraiser would get $70."

Others at the meeting, however, said yesterdaythat they felt that the wishes of the residents asrepresented in the poll should have beenrespected.

Macros D. Velayos 95, one of the co-presidentof the house committee, said he agreed with theverdict of the poll. He also said he wanted thecommittee to give full funding to activating thecable lines in North.

"I told the committee that I didn't understandhow they could vote against something the Houseclearly wanted," Velayos said. "I was disappointedin the house committee vote and I know that manystudents are angry with the committee's decision."

A North resident who attended the meeting butdid not wish to be named said: "Ignoring the voteof the House residents is failing to recognize ademocratic idea.