In 1988, the university responded to a demand for a boycott of grapes by giving members of each residence the choice. Residents of each housing unit are asked to make numerous choices about how they will live together. They are, in a sense, local communities that engage in a measure of self-governance, deciding collectively their rules and regulations for residential life, so long as they do not contravene the policies and rules of the university as a whole. This is clearly different from administrative units, which are not collectively governed residential communities. It is appropriate, then, that residences should be the site of choices on the grapes issue, as on other issues of living together.
Every residence begins the year with a community meeting to decide matters of self-governance.
At these meetings, students or groups of students can bring to the attention of their fellow residents this or other issues of concern. Clearly, the decisions that the residences take should be informed. We will ask the Dean of Students and Office of Residential Education to collect and make available balanced informational materials that can be used by the residences. Resident Fellows and Residential Assistants will be asked to ensure that there will be a fair opportunity to raise grapes issue in the course of the house meetings. Further, the University Dining Service reaffirms its commitments to honoring the decisions of the residences.