COHL Discusses Area Crime Spree

The student-faculty-administrator Committee on House Life (COHL) discussed in its monthly meeting yesterday how the College should respond to a recent string of highly visible crimes committed on, or near, campus.

The issue became particularly pressing in light of an attempted rape outside Adams House on Tuesday night and a series of break-ins at Matthews Hall.

Preventing further incidents in Matthews is difficult, administrators said, because students do not lock their room doors.

"Nothing's going to happen unless students do something," said Thomas A. Dingman '67, associate dean of the students of the recent security problems and explaining the need to keep doors locked. Lewis agreed with the suggestion and said he would likely write such a letter.

Associate Dean of Freshmen W.C. Burriss Young '55 recommended that police officers circulate in the dorms and slip notes under unlocked doors, informing the occupants that they could have been burglary victims.

Young said this tactic had been used a few years earlier with some success. The committee seemed receptive to the idea.

At its next meeting, the COHL will discuss how the College should deal with students who want to set up religious displays in the houses.

A new proposal, submitted by the Undergraduate Council's Student Affairs Committee, calls on the College to discourage expenditures of a religious nature. COHL delegate and council member Noah R. Freeman '98 said the proposal would apply to Christmas trees.

The proposal calls for extensive consultation with students if house masters want to spend money on religious displays. The proposal recommends that particularly large expenditures be preceded by house-wide meetings.

Finally, the proposal recommends that the masters should not allow students from all religious traditions to fund their own displays.

The COHL will also discuss a report from one of its subcommittees on the house committees, including an assessment of financial responsibility for house funds.

The latter issue has received heightened attention after Natalie J. Szekeres '97, the former Currier House Committee treasurer, was accused of stealing more than $7,500 from House Committee funds.