Committee to consider other suggested revisions to du Lac this summer
By JASON McFARLEY
News Editor
At the urging of students, rectors and campus government representatives, University officials this summer will likely approve a Campus Life Council resolution to extend parietal hours in Notre Dame residence halls.
The CLC proposal, which was approved 13-3 on April 23, calls for visitation hours between members of the opposite sex to begin at 9 a.m. every day. Visitation currently begins at 10 a.m.
CLC members make policy recommendations to Father Mark Poorman, vice president for student affairs, and according to Notre Dame administrators, Poorman is currently considering the parietals extension.
"He's reviewing it," said Bill Kirk, assistant vice president for residence life. "I can't speak for Father Poorman, but knowing that the resolution has support from rectors and others, approval is a possibility, if not a likelihood."
Kirk said Wednesday that Poorman may ask for further feedback from rectors before signing off on the resolution.
Poorman was in meetings Wednesday afternoon and could not be reached for comment.
The change will probably be accepted in June or July when Office of Residence Life staff meet to consider areas up for revision in du Lac, the University's student handbook. Once approved by ORL officials, University officers typically endorse changes, Kirk said.
The University makes annual revisions to the handbook but has an unofficial policy of drafting major changes to it every two years. By that standard, du Lac should experience major revision work this summer.
However, Kirk said relatively few areas of the handbook will undergo revision this summer.
In an April 23 report, the CLC Committee on du Lac Revisions highlighted four items under consideration for inclusion in the 2001-2002 edition of the guide to student life:
- expanding the definition of abusive drinking to include the misuse of prescription or non-prescription medications in connection with alcohol use
- changing the format and presentation of housing and residence hall information and regulations
- determining the impact of behavioral violations on eligibility for participation in such activities as study abroad programs, athletic team captaincy, varsity monogram awards and student organization and student government leadership positions
- regulating the use of small appliances in residence hall rooms
Approval of the parietals resolution would signal the first change to the long-standing visitation hours in four years. In 1997, the University rolled the hours back to 9 a.m. on Saturday mornings of home football game weekends.
Since coming to the floor of the CLC, parietals have been the subject of much campus fodder.
At the CLC's April 23 meeting, members not only approved the proposal calling for 9 a.m. parietals but also defeated a resolution that would have extended the hours to 1 a.m. on weekdays.
The result was a flood of letters to the editor in The Observer, mostly from students upset at the rejection of the parietals extension.
Also, on April 30, about 300 students camped overnight on South Quad to protest parietals.
All News Stories for Friday, May 18, 2001
