Complaints prompt RGAC to revise menu

The Residential Group Assessment Committee has decided to revise the section menu for selective living groups beginning in early January. 

The shift follows complaints from the Interfraternity Council and the Selective House Council.

“This is going to be a collective process between [IFC, Selective House Council and Campus Council] to make sure, at the end of the day, we have a menu that’s most beneficial for all stakeholders and students­­—both unaffiliated and affiliated,” said Campus Council President Stephen Temple, a junior.  

Although the original RGAC scores will remain, there will be changes to where groups can choose to live. The scores determine the order in which SLGs can select housing. The decision to keep the original scores is a reflection of RGAC’s faith in the RGAC process, said Joe Gonzalez, associate dean for residential life.

“The RGAC process reflects a great deal of effort from a lot of students, and it produced results that are very balanced and very accurate in many ways,” he said. “The students managed the system very well.”

The leaders of IFC and Selective House Council approached RGAC and Residential Life and Housing Services, who ultimately approved the decision to revise the menu.

“We’ve invited the presidents of Campus Council, IFC and Selective House Council, among other representatives, to come forward with a resolution,” Gonzalez said. 

Once there is a resolution that all three groups support, the proposal will be submitted to RLHS. 

RGAC co-Chair John Pryor, a junior, said the decision to revise was warranted.

“The original menu was prepared by Campus Council, which represents the student body—we’re simply making the process more inclusive,” he said. “It’s important to remember, though, that RLHS has its own views on how the space should be used and we still need to consider independents.”

Temple said the new menu will differ from the original but will still adhere to the initial priorities set by Campus Council.

These priorities include making sure there are no small pockets of independents stuck between large SLG sections, the “orphan-resident effect,” maintaining an equal distribution in each residence area and keeping in mind the balance between non-affiliated and affiliated students.  

“A lot of the priorities that went into the old menu will remain. The primary difference is that there will be more involvement from other stakeholders,” Temple said. 

When it comes to revising the menu itself, both IFC and Selective House Council will have significant input, Temple said. It comes down to flexibility and how the groups are going to divide open space selections among IFC, Selective House Council and Campus Council, he added.

Negotiations between the presidents of Campus Council, IFC and Selective House Council, under RGAC’s leadership, will begin in January, Pryor said.

Gonzalez said he is very excited about the enthusiasm shown by the three groups involved and is looking forward to seeing the end result.

Campus Council released the original menu before Thanksgiving break. The results sparked concern from both IFC and Selective House Council. 

“Basically, [the original menu] reverted most sections so they wouldn’t get the quality of section that distinguishes fraternities from other blocks,” said IFC President Eric Kaufman, a senior. “We’re going to get together, and literally start from scratch. I have no plans except for making sure there’s common space and that more sections are on lower levels.”