Committee gives recommendations

By Lisa Koivu

Daily News Editor

On April 11, the Panel on Space Allocation for Student Organizations and University Involvement with Student Organizations presented its recommendations to University President Lee Bollinger on how office space for student groups on campus should be allotted.

The committee, comprised of psychology Prof. Patricia Gurin, Rackham Dean Earl Lewis and law Prof. Christina Whitman, was put together in March by Interim Vice President for Student Affairs E. Royster Harper. The group was charged with creating a plan for how reviews and allotment of student organization office space should occur.

Currently, the more than 900 student groups registered with the Michigan Student Assembly are entitled to apply for office space in the Pierpont Commons, The Michigan League, The Michigan Union and the William Monroe Trotter House.

According to the recommendations issued by the committee, all organizations are currently "evaluated on the quantity and quality of activity and not on the organization's point of view. Generally contracts are short term, may be subject to periodic review and could result in revocation of space if the contract agreement is not upheld."

Some organizations hold offices which do not have to be reviewed each year. This includes MSA chambers, The University Activities Center and the Residence Halls Association. These organizations, according to the recommendations, currently function like "University departments."

To achieve this status, these organizations must have been given departmental status by the University Board of Regents, directly received student fees or departmental funds to operate, be an elected governing body, provide a vehicle for students' voices through media or have specific responsibilities that correspond to the needs of the campus, to achieve the status at the University.

But two different groups that fall outside of these boundaries - the Tower Societies and Gilbert and Sullivan - have the rights to privileged space.

In February, the Students of Color Coalition seized the chambers of Michigamua, one of three senior societies housed in the tower of the Michigan Union. The SCC protested the use of Native American artifacts in the chambers, as well as the privileged space given to an organization in a University building.

"We wanted to bring to light the reality of the University - that it proclaims diversity, but supports groups that work against diversity," SCC spokesman and SNRE senior Joe Reilly said.

The recommendations by the panel include nine different points the panel would like to see contemplated when issuing office space to student groups. The first point on the list recommends that "no student organization be granted a permanent or indefinite right to occupy space owned by the University of Michigan. The space of all student organizations should be subject to a periodic assignment process, review, and potential reallocation."

The committee also recommended that organizations like MSA and RHA, who currently are entitled to privileged space, come up for review every five years.

All groups vying for office space should be registered with MSA, and the space these organizations occupy should come under review every two years, including the space in the Union's tower.

Nick Delgado, LSA senior and Michigamua spokesman said he had anticipated the content of the recommendations.

"I knew this would be a political process. The administration put (the committee) in a position to be receptive to public opinion," Delgado said.

"However, this is not the final decision. The University will do what is best and we fully support the administration's decisions," he added.

Delgado said that even if Michigamua were granted rights to the space on the seventh floor of the tower, they will not be moving back to the Union next year.

"This is less about Michigamua now and more about activists wanting to be in the spotlight," Delgado said.

But Reilly said he thought the recommendations were fair.

"The committee started to look at the issues of racist images and thoughts prevalent to all organizations. Right now they are just recommendations but they are very encouraging," Reilly said.

Reilly said he wasn't sure whether the administration would follow the committee's recommendations.

"I don't have much faith in Bollinger as a fair leader on campus.

He has shown quite a bit of favoritism, but I hope he goes along with it," Reilly said.

"I'd like to see the University take a clear hard stance in denouncing Michigamua and the ideals it supports," he added.

In a press release, Harper said the administration will seriously consider all of the recommendations.

"As we look towards making decisions based on these recommendations, we want to be as serious, thoughtful and respectful in our consideration of the recommendations as the panel members obviously have been in making them," Harper said.

The committee will release its recommendations for how it believes the University should interact with student organizations on October 2.