Dean of Students Kathleen MacKay called for a revision of the Student Information Handbook in February after several hearings involving members of the September 29th Movement revealed inconsistencies in the outdated rule book.

So, as expected, her office is following up on her request to revise the handbook.

Last semester, the Dean of Students Office accepted between 75 and 80 nominations from people interested in sitting on the Student Information Handbook review committee. Those nominated include students, faculty, administrators and staff. Meetings for the revision will not begin until fall semester 1997.

Every four to five years the Dean of Students Office revises the student handbook, said Associate Dean of Students Houston Dougharty. This year is the fifth year since the last revision.

Dougharty said the revision will be a long process.

“We are planning a very methodical, deliberate, open process where the committee will work in subdivisions based on what needs to be revised,” he said.

Not much is known now about how much revision will be completed. However, Dougharty said one of the main focal areas of revision will concern new policies with computer use at Iowa State.

Though not much is definitely planned for revision, the Dean of Students Office is gathering information from other schools.

Robert Pate, a graduate student in education, received an internship with the Dean of Students Office. He is working on gathering research from 10 of the schools in the Big 12 and other land-grant institutions.

Pate is conducting a systematic comparative study among these institutions to compare and contrast conduct codes and certain policies with those of Iowa State.

Other items collected in Pate’s research include organization of the institutions, how those institutions are staffed and some of their judicial policies. This will enable the student handbook committee to have information from multiple sources to write the best handbook possible, Dougharty said.

This summer, the Dean of Students Office will be seeking advice from the university’s lawyers at University Legal Services in Beardshear Hall. The lawyers will be able to help identify legal and regential issues for review, he said.

In the fall, the committee will be able to take the next step— pointing out weak spots in the old handbook and revising them. Then, during the spring semester, the committee will hold public campus meetings so other students and faculty can voice their opinions to help make this document “one all can appreciate,” Dougharty said.

“It’s important to hear everyone’s opinions on this issue because it is an issue that affects all of us. We want to make this document one of the best so we can all be proud of it,” Dougharty said.

After the committee feels the document is sound, they will recommend it to MacKay for review. She will then recommend the revised document to Thomas Hill, vice president of student affairs.

After Hill views the document it will be passed on to President Martin Jischke and then to the state Board of Regents.

The revised student handbook should be completed in the fall of 1998, Dougherty said.

Dougharty came to ISU March 1 from the University of California-Santa Barbara.