Tuesday, August 27, 1968
THE MICHIGAN DAILY
Tuesday, August 27, 1968 THE MICHIGAN DAILY
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By NADINE COHODAS
It was a dismal eight months
for Inter House Assembly (IHA)
last year. They not only lost a.
significant segment of their mem-
bership, but the two most impprt-
ant housing changes, student-
determined visitation privileges
tnd hours, were accomplished
r more through SGC and UAC than
IHA.
Starting in November East Quad
Council withdrew from IHA after
IHA refused the Quad's motion to
"get IHA out of politics." Pres-
life
ently, IHA executive officers serve
as the student representatives on,
the Residence Hall Board of Gov-
ernors, a student-faculty admin-
istrative and advisory body.
Throughout the year more dif-
ficulty developed over the ques-
tion of mandatory membership
and the accompanying fee for all
dormitory houses. Finally in April
IHA, three of them refused to
pay their dues.
President of Bursley, Wallace
Long, '71E, who led the move to
withdraw, explains IHA performs
just
"'no real functions" for the resi-
dence halls. "There are enough
organizations on campus with
enough activities or ways to
handle grievances making tine
or money spent on IHA a waste,"
he adds.
The, resigning houses proposed
voluntary rather than mandatory
membership to the organization.
The Board of Governors has
given IHA power to act against
these individual houses by with-
holding academic credits of al.
isn't
residents whose houses refuse to
pay due.
Steve Brown, '69, IHA president,
had threatened to exercise this,
power, but administrative vice
president Matt Keefe, '69, says
IHA will not carry through with
the threat this fall.
Keefe admints IHA is "in a state
of flux." Hie says the past diffi-
culties demonstrate a need for
change.
IHA, Keefe says, should be "a
coordinating body between the
houses in the residence hall sys-
what
tem." The organization "is not a
governing body," he adds, but
should be one where "ideas are
taken from the bottom up."
In happier times-IHA considered
itself more of a regulatory organ-
ization. Brown had commented
that IHA hopes "to be making its
own rules (without administra-
tive interference) in as many areas
of 'dorm life as possible."
The presidents council of IHA
(made up, of residence: hall pres-
idents and IHA executives),was
to aid greatly in achieving this
goal. It was set up as the "legis-
lative branch" of IHA where. "all
new policies are originated and
coordinated."
Keefe says he thinks member-
ship will "definitely be voluntary"
in the fall. "We want people in
IRIA who are there because they
want to be, not because they have
to be," he adds.
"We have plenty of files to help
houses with their programs,"
Keefe says. "We think we can
exist on these resources and on
the unique ideas any house may
suggest."
No permanent changes in IHA
policy will be made before fall,
however. Keefe says the only
it
used
functioning part of IHA during
the summer is the executive board
which "does not determine" rules
and regulations.
The representatives of the in-
dividual houses who make up IRA
will decide on any major changes,
Keefe says. He admits that in' the
past communication between the
houses "has been a problem" but
he says IRA hopes to "reach all
of the houses early in the semes-
ter."
Keefe says it is difficult to be
either pessimistic or optimistic
about IRA's future since the or-
ganization is only about two years
old. During orientation, however,
IHA is making an effort to talk to
orientees about the importance of
the residence hall system.
"We try to tell them that their
most important and most fre-
quent identity during the first
year ,is to theyhouse they live in,
Keefe says. "We stress that their
loyalties to their respective houses
are the most important."
With a stormy year behind them
and with ideas for change and
the realization of the need to
change, IHA will have to wait un-
til September for a clearer defini-
tion of its future.
Ppularity swamps ICC
Cooperative living units, run by
the Inter - Cooperative Council
(ICC) are designated on campus
by a sign showing two pine trees
with a circle around them.
According to ICC, this sign sym-
bolizes endurance, fecundity, and
immortality. These are the quali-
ties that we see in co-operation."
Just,like other University hous-
ing .organizations, Inter-House
Assembly, Panhellenic, Inter-
Fraternity Council--these ideals
tend to out-run the real. Perhaps,
however, more of the ideal re-
mains in ICC since students move
there to live cheaply by working
together.
The Utopian background of co-
operative units must live on to
some extent in the ten co-ops at
the University. A large number of
people move into them volun-
tarily-an unusual trend for Uni-
tVersity housing.
In fact co-op living is popular
enough for the University to ob-
tain a $1,242,000 loan for con-
struction of a new co-op behind
Baits Housing.
ICC has been working toward
a federal loan for 12 years, ac-
cording to Luther Buchele, ICC
head.
The new co-op will house 210'
residents, 72 women and 138 men.
Construction is scheduled to begin
in October. ICC hopes the build-
ing will be ready for occupancy in
fall, 1969,
The loan will be repaid over
the next 50 years from ICC
revenues.
Buchele said the loan also is
the first federal grant made to
any student cooperative; as well
as the first awarded to a student
group not directly connected with
a university.
ICC, it is true, is not directly
connected with the Universitly. It
was incorporated with a view to
having a central organization for
holding deeds, mortgages, and to
negotiate real estate deals.
Each of the member houses
elects one ICC delegate for every
20 mmbers. The delegates meet
twice a month and have final
say about maintenance, expan-
sion, and policy matters in
general.
The apparent popularity of co-
ops cannot, however, be explain-
ed by their organization.
All members are expected to
put in four to six hours work a
week, but the living costs are
much lower than other University
housing. As semi - independent
University housing co-ops would
logically be most popular with
sophomore women who are tired
'of living in the dorms yet must
remain in University housing un-
til their junior year.
Neither the legal or financial
advantages, however, appear to be
the co-ops main selling point.
There are, of course, the miscel-
laneous benefits, dorms-and as
f o r that matter -- apartments
cannot offer such as extra living
space and snacking privileges for
those living and eating in the
co-ops.
The real attraction of co-op
living, however, is probably best
explained by one coed who re-
cently moved in after six months
on a waiting list.
"Co-ops leave me some privacy,
yet provide opportunities to meet
new people I didn't used to have.
Last week we played volleyball
with anothei house and this week
we're going berry, picking along
the railroad tracks."
'a t ... - -
SLATER'S
Lots of Paperbacks.
336 SOUTH STATE
662-4543
Architects' design for new North Campus co-op
L
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