After significant research and work, the Government of the Student Body is considering resolving the Carrie Chapman Catt Hall issue with a resolution titled “Time for Closure.”

The resolution states that GSB will “form a committee composed of a fair and diverse representation of students, faculty and the Iowa State community … charged with reviewing all aspects of the controversy over the name of Catt Hall and making recommendations of specific action items that will bring about closure of the issue.”

GSB expects the committee to come up with a plan before April 1.

The senators behind this bill include Matt Ostanik, design, Kate Kjergaard, LAS and Bryan Burkhardt, engineering.

The three senators said diversity issues received a lot of attention at ISU in the fall of 1997, especially those concerning The September 29th Movement.

The group decided to do some research on diversity and found the results interesting enough to devise a report titled “Issues of Diversity and the Educational Environment at Iowa State University.”

They also gave a presentation at the Feb. 25 senate meeting.

As part of their research, the senators distributed surveys over e-mail and received a data sampling of 309 students and 247 faculty members.

Through their research, they were alarmed to find that most students and faculty feel controversy over issues like Catt Hall has negatively impacted race relations and the educational environment at ISU.

Although suggestions about resolving the Catt Hall issue vary, 47.6 percent of the students and 40.9 percent of the faculty surveyed feel closure is needed.

From their research, Ostanik, Kjergaard and Burkhardt concluded that issues of diversity are important and should be an area of concern.

They also decided that conflict over issues of diversity, particularly the Catt Hall debate, may be having an impact on the educational environment, and therefore needs to be resolved.

“This issue needs closure, and that’s the intent of sponsoring this bill,” Ostanik said. “The September 29th Movement has given commitment to see this work, and we will work with the Office of the President.”

Ostanik said he feels the way to resolve this issue is to establish communication.

“I don’t see us advocating a certain form of closure,” he said.

Ostanik said he realizes that some of the report’s information isn’t necessarily flattering to the university, but that focusing on these issues will improve ISU’s educational environment.

“The resolution involves two things — open communication and both sides taking ownership,” Ostanik said. “I really strongly believe closure is needed for that 48 percent of the students who said they don’t care about the outcome, as long as closure is reached.”

Although the individual positions of The Movement’s members are not clear, the group supports the resolution.

Ostanik said he is confident the resolution, which is up for vote at tonight’s GSB meeting at 7 in the Pioneer Room of the Memorial Union, will pass.