Members of the College Council asked Fr. Poorman many questions. Poorman expressed having previously been open to the idea, but finds little ground swell for it here among current students, and even evidence of return to single-sex dorms on other campuses. Several faculty questioned that there is little interest at Notre Dame, citing both sociability and gender problems endemic in the single-sex dorm culture and the positive experience of students in our semester and year abroad programs. Poorman added that the strategic policy on drinking is that the residence hall staff is not to police the dorms, not least because we want students to stay on campus.
Reports indicate that more binge drinking occurs off campus than on.
Nevertheless, he observed that it would be helpful for the persons directly involved to do a better job informing students about how the policies are enforced. He concurred on the value of infusion of Hall Fellows and faculty mentoring, especially in multi-cultural situations. Faculty rued the slow maturity of Notre Dame students who, it was argued, would benefit from regular interaction with older persons who are not their parents. The subsequent discussion of this point confirmed interest in initiatives from both sides. Poorman cited the example of over one hundred students who have been reading a papal encyclical in the dorms this semester, in small groups led by members of the Theology faculty.