U.C. Members to Spend Office Hours in Houses

In accordance with his campaign promise to bring the council closer to the students, Undergraduate Council president Joshua D. Liston '95 introduced a bill last night requiring council members to spend their office hours in their houses rather than in the council's office.

The resolution, item nine of Liston's presidential position paper, entitled the "Contract with the College," was passed by the council 54 to seven at the conclusion of Liston's first meeting as president.

Council members were formerly required to spend one hour per week in the council office.

An amendment to the bill, proposed by Eric M. Silberstein '98, was also passed last night. It allows members to spend their mandatory office hours going door to door to meet constituents.

Randall A. Fine '96 and N. Van Taylor '95 both opposed the bill, saying that the hour spent in the council office is too valuable to be eliminated.

"The whole idea of office hours is to have time to work on projects," Fine said. "We should be meeting with people in our houses on our own. We can't afford to take time away from office hours to do it."

A potential compromise was proposed by Rudd W. Coffey '97 which would have forced council members to spend both an hour in their houses and an hour in the council office.

That amendment failed because some council members said they did not want their office hours doubled.

In other council affairs, Liston brought up allegations he and Brandon C. Gregoire '95 made during the presidential campaign that parts of the council's constitution and bylaws were invalid. They accused Fine of changing those rules two years ago without council approval.

"Many allegations were made during the campaign concerning the legitimacy of the constitution, and I asserted that they were true," Liston said. "But I am not going to dwell on them. As president I am the sole interpreter of the constitution and bylaws. They are valid."

Fine, however, was not so eager to dismiss the charges regarding the constitution's validity.

"If these allegations are as true as Josh Liston thinks they are, I think we should launch a full investigation into them," Fine said. "I don't think we should be sweeping them under the table. If we did, it would be too easy to see them as political maneuvering."

Two other pieces of legislation were passed by the council last night. One bill, proposed by Jonathan P.Feeney '95, allows the council to buy used books at the end of the semester and to sell them back to students the next spring.

The resolution authorizes the council to spend $5,000 buying used books during the last two days of the final exam period this semester.

The other resolution passed was one of Fine's campaign promises: to put a high volume copier in the council office.

The resolution, introduced by vice-presidentJustin C. Label '97, Coffey and Fine, would allowstudent groups to use the copier at low cost. Anoffice worker will also be hired by the council toattend to the copier and handle other clericaltasks.

"The copier would be a great student service,"Fine said. "Not only could it allow the council tosave between $1,500 and $3,500 per year, it wouldallow student groups to make copies at cost ratherthan paying seven cents at Kinko's.

The resolution, introduced by vice-presidentJustin C. Label '97, Coffey and Fine, would allowstudent groups to use the copier at low cost. Anoffice worker will also be hired by the council toattend to the copier and handle other clericaltasks.

"The copier would be a great student service,"Fine said. "Not only could it allow the council tosave between $1,500 and $3,500 per year, it wouldallow student groups to make copies at cost ratherthan paying seven cents at Kinko's.