The Office of Student Development is currently investigating the Craven Quad Council's claim that its president, Trinity sophomore Chance Hart, took about $2,000 of its funds to sponsor a party without obtaining the council's approval. Additionally, the council has petitioned for the removal of Hart and has requested that it not be held responsible for funding the party.
In an April 14 letter addressed to Assistant Deans of Student Development Debbie LoBiondo and Carmen Tillery, the house presidents of Craven Quad requested that action be taken to ensure the return of the quad's funds.
The funds were allegedly used to fund an April 12 party, titled "East Coast/West Coast," that was to be held in two Craven Quad locations: the House 33-formerly House CC-commons room and the Braxton Dormitory commons room.
But although council regulations mandate that expenditures be approved by the council, several of its members claim that Hart, who is also a member of House 33, did not submit his request before withdrawing the funds from the quad's account.
"He didn't really tell anybody about the party," said Trinity junior Evan Hicks, a member of the quad council.
The incident has provoked complaints from council members regarding the way the situation was handled. "Everyone on quad council was angry that he was using quad funds without consulting us," said Trinity sophomore and council member Sarah Hamilton.
Although he declined a verbal interview with The Chronicle, Hart submitted a statement in which he claimed that he was approached with the idea for a party that "would be organized, set up, cleaned and co-sponsored by House 33," and that he planned to present the idea during an April 6 quad council meeting.
He said in the statement, however, that no other members attended that meeting. "Understanding that a decision had to be made quickly, I felt it was in the best interest of Craven Quad and House 33 that I make the decision for the quad," he said, noting that "average attendance to quad meetings was a pathetic four out of 13 members."
Hart added that his reasoning was based partly on his assertion that members of the council had not been interested in organizing quad events all year. "I regret any confusion that has been caused within our quad council and any ensuing effect on the University," he wrote. "I hope that this does not prevent us from ending the year on a strong note."
The meeting, however, may not have been as well publicized as were past meetings. Hicks said Hart had sent e-mails informing council members of previous meetings-especially when there was something important on the agenda, such as discussion on an upcoming party. Yet Hicks said Hart did not send any e-mails announcing the April 6 meeting, at which he planned to hold a vote on the party.
Furthermore, Hicks said, meeting times had been changed quite often and meetings had been periodically cancelled during the course of the semester. Consequently, members would often be confused about the council's exact meeting times.
"Definitely something could have been done to get that message out about the party," Hicks said. "That wasn't done."
Another contributing factor to the confusion was that whereas Hart usually sent e-mails to council members informing them of major issues raised at the meetings, he did not do so after he had approved council funding for the party.
"If there was an issue he wanted that much money on," Hamilton said, "I would have expected him to let us know because he had in the past."
Members of Braxton did not learn that the party was to occur in its commons room until the afternoon of April 12, when members saw pledges of House 33 decorating the commons room, said Jane Gravenstine, Braxton's resident adviser. "It turned out that supposedly the quad was having a party and we didn't know about it," she said.
Because several of the dormitory members did not want the party to take place, Gravenstine called an unidentified student development dean who was on call and had the party moved out of the dormitory.
"They didn't want it-they hadn't been asked," she said of the Braxton residents. The dean on call then ordered that the party-and all of the 12 kegs of beer that were purchased-be relocated entirely to the House 33 section, Gravenstine said.
Many council members did not learn that the council's funds had been used for the party until they noticed that promotional fliers indicated the event was co-sponsored both by the quad and by House 33.
"It ended up being a [33] party, basically," Hamilton said.
Although Lee Canipe, second-year Divinity student and area coordinator for Craven Quad, was out of town on the weekend the incident occurred, he said he returned to find several messages from RAs in the quad inquiring about the incident.
"The party had been planned without the knowledge of the rest of the council," he said. "No one had agreed to it." He added that he believes the Office of Student Development is taking steps to increase accountability for quad councils in the future.
Hart said the issue was resolved following a Craven Quad Council meeting held a week after the party, at which quad members discussed their concerns regarding the event.
But Hamilton disagreed. "Everybody was sort of frustrated, but nothing was resolved, except the fact that we were unhappy," she said. "I don't think anything substantial happened."
Both Hart and the quad council now await the Office of Student Development's decision. Tillery said, however, that she could not comment on the specifics of the case. "We're in the process of deciding what will happen with [the incident.]"
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