Rosovsky Steps In

"A committee meeting is usually an orderly way of not doing anything." One student member of the Committee on Houses and Undergraduate Life discovered this statement printed on a Salada tea bag and in a moment of levity at a recent CHUL meeting, read it aloud.

A good natured eruption of guffaws followed. But most of the people who gather once a month in the cold University Hall chambers, would have to admit that Salada's message is only half true. The committee indeed has done little of substance this year. But it certainly has not done anything in an orderly way.

Under the loose reins of chairman Francis M. Pipkin, associate dean of the Faculty for the Colleges, debate at most CHUL meetings tends to wander aimlessly with members often bringing up topics only remotely related to the subject under discussion.

Many CHUL members hold the disorganized Pipkin accountable for the unstructured meetings and overall ineffectiveness of the CHUL.

These proceedings could change drastically next year when Dean Rosovsky resumes the chairmanship of the CHUL after a three-year absence.

"Rosovsky will be a very organized chairman. He will exercise a firm hand and keep the CHUL from going off on tangents," Steuart H. Thomsen '76, a former CHUL representative, said yesterday. Thomsen and Margaret C. Ross '76 are the only two undergraduates to have served on the CHUL when Rosovsky chaired the committee.

Ross said yesterday Rosovsky is more opinionated and may "express his own opinions and influence the CHUL" far more than Pipkin ever did. Pipkin usually remained neutral and never tried to be persuasive, she said.

However, Ross said it would be appropriate for Rosovsky to express himself, because he will make the final decision on any recommendation from the CHUL. "Direct dialogue with the person responsible for making decisions will be very valuable."

Several CHUL members have tried to establish this direct dialogue with Rosovsky for some time. Lee Bains '77, CHUL representative from Kirkland House, said yesterday he had written several letters to the dean urging him to attend CHUL meetings. Bains said he did not necessarily want Rosovsky to chair the committee, but that Rosovsky's presence is very important because it acknowledges his concern with the issues the CHUL discusses.

"Some people felt Pipkin was too lax, but I thought he was a flexible chairman," Bains said. But Rosovsky may prove to be the other extreme. He could be too quick to cut off debate, Bains said.