Internet speech restrictions; necessary or evil? See page 9. New hallstaff design reduces Next to the table and strumming numbers^ increases responsibility BY MAEIA THOMPSON Arminio, and she hopes that the employ only one hallstaff, accord- Contributing Writer reduction in hall staff will encour- ing to Arminio. The number of age students to settle their prob- hallstaff in Dana, the Heights and Colby students returning to cam- lems with each other before calling Mary Low Commons will be deter- pus next fall can expect to see on hallstaff. "I would like to see mined in proportion to their size. A changes in the hallstaff system. students take the responsibility to decrease in numbers means an in- According to Jan Arminio, asso- initiate a solution for their own prob- crease in responsibility and, accord- ciate dean for residential life, a re- lems first. Hallstaff should only be ing to Arminio, future hallstaff job vised hallstaff system will be imple- viewed as a descriptions will not differ greatly mented at the start of next year. The second step in from that of a current HR. plan, designed by Arminio and cur- this process." To compensate for the reduction rent hallstaff, will revamp the exist- The sud- of student staff, Arminio said that ing hallstaff set-up, greatly reduc- den change in the proposed plan includes the cre- ing the number of staff and elimi- number of ation of three new administrative nating the position of Resident Ad- hallstaff ar- positions. Trained adults with mas- visor (RA). rives just as ters degrees will be hired to live Currently, there are 23 Head campus con- around campus, serving as faculty Residents (HRs) and 41 RAs. Ac- struction con- residents and advisers to whom stu- cording to Dean of Students Janice tinues to grow Associate Dean dents can come with social or aca- Kassman, the numbers will be de- with the plan fo rResidential demic problems. In addition to serv- creased to a total of 38 HRs and no for a new resi- Life Jan ing as counselors, each will assume RAs. dence hall. Arminio. administrative duties — one as di- The new set-up is a response to Some hallstaff rector of student activities, another Arminio's observation that hall staff suggest that the hallstaff budget was as assistant to the associate dean for are too often prematurely called cut in order to fund dorm recon- intercultural affairs and the third as upon to resolve student conflicts. struction. a residential life adviser, reporting Echo photo by JenniferAtwood , students According to Arminio, the she to the associate dean for residential According to Arminio Dave Matthews captures Colby' s attention. See page 6. ¦¦ commonly look to their RAs and has examined other schools, look- life. YY J — - . HRs to solve problems with neigh- ing at varying hall staff organiza- Mary Low RA Meghan Fallon bors without first trying to reach a tions and the way in which they '98 said the changes will bring about compromise on their own. work. "The new plan will be better an improvement in dorm life. Fallon "I have always wanted to see a suited to Colby," said Arminio. hopes that the system will better Two architects hall environment at Colby with a The plan calls for each of the utilize the talents of previous RAs, greater sense of community/' said Hillside and Frat Row dorms to see HALLSTAFFon pag e5 reach final round Proposed tax would increase tuition BY GLORIA ROTTELL pervisor of Special Projects Joe Feely, Contributing Writer two issues served as the initial mo- BY ALYSSA GIACOBBE which has provided financial sup- it is unknown whether or not the tivation and driving force behind News Editor port for the construction of the F. W. city would decide to impose the The student and faculty mem- the decision to build a new resi- Olin Science Center, has already tax. bers of the Dorm Reconstruction dence hall. In the last session of the Maine said that had Colby been required "We do so much for this com- Committee have been busy this "The first issue is that there are state legislature, a bill was proposed to pay taxes, the grant would never munity that we think we go well week meeting with five groups of some rooms on campus, such as the which would enable individual have been given, according to beyond what the tax would im- prospective architects. According to 'closet singles/ which everyone rec- Maine cities and towns to tax cur- Smith. And, said Smith, it is likely pose," said Smith. Colby faculty Administrative Vice President ognizes as not providing adequate rently tax-exempt institutions. Pas- that other potential dona tors would and students currently work ex- Arnold Yasinski, by the end of next living environments. Secondly, sage of the bill would mean that the feel the same way. tensively with the Waterville com- week, the committee should have a there is the desire to have the rooms city of Waterville could impose "[The tax] would show that munity through individual and contract for the design of the new at Colby keep up in terms of quality taxeson Colby, theburden of which Maine wasn't very welcoming of organized volunteer programs. In residence hall. with the rest of the institution." would fall on the students. addition, Colby offers local high According to Yasinski, the com- Many of the dorms on campus The need for money to pay taxes — ¦¦¦¦ ¦ — ¦¦ ¦ school students Advanced Place- mittee is looking for two qualities have not been renovated in 50 years, | ( |Masts ( BUM would result in an increase in tu- ment courses and the use of Colby when choosing the architect: one said Feely, and are in need of updat- ition, according to Dean of the Col- We've got to find the facilities for such events as high "who will help us determine which ing. In general, there will be "an lege Earl Smith. "We've got to find school graduations at no charge. of the two proposed sites for the emphasis on greater privacy and the money somewhere," said money somewhere . And although the majority of Colby new dorm would make the most more generous rooms," said Feely. Smith. The possibility of a decrease - Dean of College Earl students are not Maine residents, sense," and who will "be sensitive There is still some indecision re- in department funding or faculty Smith. 25 percent of financial aid recipi- to what the students want in a dorm garding the site of the proposed and staff layoffs has not yet been ents are from Maine, according to environment." dormitory, according to Associate addressed. 111 Yri'sinski said that as of Friday Dean of Housing Paul Johnston. To The bill proposes a "service fee" 77 "We think we have a good thecommitteehad decided upon an aid in the decision- making process, upon state institutions which education,' said Smith. He also said neighbor relationship," said Smith. architect who was the clear favorite models will be built for both sites. A charge duties or fees. And although that donors may be reluctant to "But as long as Maine cities and and another who was "a solid sec- scale model of the dorm made out of Colby and other Maine colleges are contribute money if, instead of the towns are struggling, the proposal ond choice." The two firms have two-by-fours and pieces of plywood non-profit organizations they, un- money being devoted completely could eventually be a real threat." good reputations for work done on may be loosely constructed at the like churches — which under the to a College project, a portion went According to Smith , although other college campuses and will help proposed Johnson Pond location "so proposed bill would remain tax- directly to the sta te. passage of the bill in the near fu- by advising designs that have that the committee...will be able to exempt — do charge their mem- According to Smith, it is un- ture is unlikely, the struggles worked well for other schools, ac- decide whether the dorm will de- bers. likely that the bill will pass before faced by money-deficient cities cording to Yasinski. Along with the tract from anything or if it will not In addition to an increase in tu- the end of the spring congressional and towns is real and may affect input of the architectural firm, stu- have a great effect on the present ition, it is possible that the passage session, and even if i! does, it could the passage of the bill in the long dent opinion and recommendations view of the pond," said Johnston. of the bill could decrease outside still be a while before the city of run. will be influential in the process of Students on the Dorm Recon- funding and grants that the Col- Waterville considers the bill for "I suspect this [issue] will come the building, said Yasinski. struction Cornmitteeconsider them- lege receives. The Olin Foundation, enactment. In addition, said Smith, back time and time again/' said According to Physical Plant Su- see NEW DORM on page 5 Life after the Dream; Gates speaks about "Hoop Dreams" Environmental activist to BY ERIKA AYERS address clearcutting Contributing Writer Botanist, educator and environmental activist Jonathan Carter will present a slide show and host a discussion on clearcutting and the devastation of the Maine woods Feb. 29 at 7:30 p.m. Carter, leader The reality behind the dream of the Green Party and director of "Ban Clearcutting," is active in shared by two inner-city youths as Maine politics. portrayed in the 1994 documen- "In the last 15 years an area the size of Delaware has been clearcut tary "Hoop Dreams" was the sub- in the Maine forests," explained Ned Gignoux '99, who is organizing jectof a talk given by William Gates the event.