Proposed changes to the ISU residence hall Fresh Start program may increase returning student participation and address student complaints about program policies.

Fresh Start began in 1999 and was created to help students have a positive transition from their high school experience to their college experience. It is in effect in Maple, Eaton, Friley and Helser halls. One major mission of Fresh Start is to promote campus involvement among younger students, said Ginny Arthur, associate director for residence life.

Arthur said returning students were less supportive of the more structured environment created by Fresh Start.

“The possibility of changing Fresh Start programs has been taken into consideration mainly to increase student returns and make it a more attractive option for older students,” said Mitch Hayek, president of Maple Hall and a member of the committee reviewing Fresh Start policies.

Because of unpopular aspects of the program, members of student government and residence hall staff met in December to discuss Fresh Start’s positive and negative aspects. The group created a list of proposals that would be put into effect for the 2005-06 school year to amend these complaints, she said.

The bulk of student complaints dealt with the strict alcohol and visitation policies within the affected dorms.

Under the policy, all Fresh Start dorms are alcohol free. One proposed change would require all residence halls to follow the standard Department of Residence policy, which allows alcohol in student rooms if all roommates are at least 21 years. All of Maple Hall, as well as a few houses in Union Drive dorms, would remain alcohol free, Hayek said.

Visitors of the opposite sex are allowed in student rooms from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. on weekdays and from 9 a.m. to 3 a.m. on weekends in Fresh Start dorms.

A possible change brought under consideration is allowing roommate contracts to dictate the acceptable visiting hours for each room, he said.

Due to budget cuts, the academic resource coordinator position has been eliminated for the 2005-06 school year. Since the change, new methods of encouraging development activities are under consideration.

The coordinators were responsible for recording residents’ progress in three major areas of development: club membership, personal development and community development, Arthur said.

“A large part of the Fresh Start program included ARCs, and since we’re no longer using ARCs, it was a good time to review the program,” she said.

One proposed solution is called the Positive Reinforcement Program. Under this plan, a Residence Development Board — made up of Inter-Residence Hall Association members, Department of Residence representatives and residence hall councils — would be in charge of distributing funds to help support residence hall-based community service.

Rewards and recognition would also be provided for houses that excel in development areas, Hayek said.

The next step toward new Fresh Start policies is getting resident feedback. IRHA and Department of Residence officials said they hope to set up tables outside the Maple-Willow-Larch and Union Drive dining centers before the end of February to get student reaction to the proposals.

After the responses have been collected, the groups will meet again to analyze the data and review the proposals.