Time Running Short for Report

With just a month left before the end of the spring term, time is dwindling if the Ad Board Review Committee’s report is to be implemented by the end of this academic year.

The report—which addresses potential changes to the Administrative Board, the College’s main disciplinary body—was presented to Dean of the College Evelynn M. Hammonds on March 6.

Many of the suggestions proposed by the report, including any potential changes to the disciplinary policy appearing in the Student Handbook, must be presented to the Faculty Council and will require the approval of members of the faculty at a full Faculty meeting.

At present, only two Faculty meetings remain before the end of the school year: one on May 5 and one on May 19. In order for consideration of the changes to appear on the next meeting’s docket, the Dean must submit an official request to the Faculty Council by 9:30 a.m. on Monday, April 20. The deadline for the May 19 meeting is the same time on May 5.

Historically, student complaints have centered on the Board’s lack of transparency and the absence of student representation within it. Former Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross ’71 first proposed that the College review the procedures of the Ad Board in Spring 2007, and Interim Dean of the College David R. Pilbeam convened a small review committee in November 2007.

After receiving the report early last month, Hammonds said she planned to look through the committee’s suggestions and respond with comments and questions of her own. Once Hammonds submits her revisions to the review committee, a final version may then be assembled for potential public dissemination.

In an interview the day she received the report, Hammonds declined to provide a date for the report’s public release.

“I think it’s going to take me a bit of time to read it carefully, to convene people in the college to talk about it, to talk about it with others, to give them some feedback, and give them some time to respond, so I would give that some time,” Hammonds said.

Secretary of the Ad Board Jay L. Ellison said there is still a lot of discussion occurring between Hammonds and the members of the reform committee about her suggestions to the report.

Since the report was requested by the Dean of the College, many of its parts could be adopted at her discretion without requiring a Faculty vote, Ellison said. He said that even if the report did not come before the Faculty before the end of the year, the changes the Dean would approve independently could still be adopted.

Ellison said that it was “likely” that the report would be brought before the Faculty at the May 5 meeting. He said that he thought the Faculty would be pleased with the suggestions made by the committee.

UC President Andrea R. Flores ’10 sent a letter to the Dean this Monday on behalf of the UC asking about the status of the report. Flores said she has yet to receive a response from Hammonds.

“We would encourage Dean Hammonds to be very transparent about the recommendations of the report to counteract the past confusion about the Ad Board,” Flores said.

—Staff writer Lauren D. Kiel can be reached at lkiel@fas.harvard.edu.