2008 Woodie Awards
SGA approves first-year rush
IHC-endorsed bill seeks to expand social house program
Megan O'Keefe
Issue date: 1/27/05 Section: News
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On Jan.16, the Student Government Association Senate (SGA) approved a proposal that would allow first-year students to join a social house during their second semester at Middlebury College.
The bill, authored by Inter-House Council (IHC) President Kris Burfitt'05 and sponsored by SGA President Andrew Jacobi '05, was passed in a vote of 13 to two, with one abstention.
The subcommittee on social houses is considering the bill and is expected to make a recommendation to the Community Council on Feb.14. A vote in the Council will determine a recommendation to College President Ronald Liebowitz on the policy.
The "First Year Social House Membership Proposal" bill calls for inviting students to "rush any semester beginning with their second semester of their First Year" and seeks to allow student members to live in social houses beginning the "first semester of their sophomore year." Current College policy stipulates that students are ineligible to join a social house until the their sophomore year and may not live in a social house until Winter Term of that year.
A similar bill, authored by former SGA president Sam Rodriguez '04, was overwhelming defeated in the Senate last spring. Unlike the previous version, however, the reincarnated bill is endorsed by the IHC, which includes the presidents and vice-presidents of all five social houses. Said Burfitt, "I had heard interest in the possibility of freshmen being able to rush and pledge early in the semester, and it was an initiative I chose to pursue. I brought it up to the IHC, and after some discussion, they agreed to support me."
A leaflet distributed to SGA members by Burfitt, a member of Omega Alpha (Tavern), and IHC Vice President and Kappa Delta Rho (KDR) member Laura Lindel '04.5 entitled "The IHC Community's Internal Perspective" introduced the IHC's support of the bill, noting, "While there isn't necessarily something wrong with the Social House system as it stands, expanding the option of membership to a broader range of students would help not only the student body as a whole."
The bill, authored by Inter-House Council (IHC) President Kris Burfitt'05 and sponsored by SGA President Andrew Jacobi '05, was passed in a vote of 13 to two, with one abstention.
The subcommittee on social houses is considering the bill and is expected to make a recommendation to the Community Council on Feb.14. A vote in the Council will determine a recommendation to College President Ronald Liebowitz on the policy.
The "First Year Social House Membership Proposal" bill calls for inviting students to "rush any semester beginning with their second semester of their First Year" and seeks to allow student members to live in social houses beginning the "first semester of their sophomore year." Current College policy stipulates that students are ineligible to join a social house until the their sophomore year and may not live in a social house until Winter Term of that year.
A similar bill, authored by former SGA president Sam Rodriguez '04, was overwhelming defeated in the Senate last spring. Unlike the previous version, however, the reincarnated bill is endorsed by the IHC, which includes the presidents and vice-presidents of all five social houses. Said Burfitt, "I had heard interest in the possibility of freshmen being able to rush and pledge early in the semester, and it was an initiative I chose to pursue. I brought it up to the IHC, and after some discussion, they agreed to support me."
A leaflet distributed to SGA members by Burfitt, a member of Omega Alpha (Tavern), and IHC Vice President and Kappa Delta Rho (KDR) member Laura Lindel '04.5 entitled "The IHC Community's Internal Perspective" introduced the IHC's support of the bill, noting, "While there isn't necessarily something wrong with the Social House system as it stands, expanding the option of membership to a broader range of students would help not only the student body as a whole."