Whether students will be allowed to decorate their dorm doors this fall has yet to be determined, but steps toward resolving the issue are on the horizon.

Randy Alexander, director of the Department of Residence Halls, presented a revised proposal of the door policy draft that passed Inter-Residence Hall Association last November.

Revisions were made on the basis of consultations with Director of University Legal Services Paul Tanaka. Alexander said Tanaka would not be willing to defend the draft that passed in November but would be willing to review a new draft of the policy if specific changes were made.

The draft Alexander presented eliminated the content regulation portion of the original draft, which he was advised, would be a regulation on free speech.

The vote of house members on the “offensive material” was made non-binding, meaning the student displaying the “offensive material” is not obligated to take it down.

“There is a value in encouraging students to talk about it (offensive material),” Alexander said.

Tanaka could not comment specifically on his consultations with Alexander, but did say the university’s strategy has been to not get involved in allowing content restrictions.

The new draft would allow for individual houses to either accept this policy or to “allow only Department of Residence posted materials” on the student doors in the individual house, Tanaka said.

IRHA President Rob Wiese said this proposal is the same as it was before door decorations were eliminated in 1992 due to a series of incidents where Nazi and racist material were posted on a student’s door.

“I don’t know if it will pass,” Wiese said.

IRHA is voting on the new draft at Thursday night’s meeting in the Large Conference Room at 7 in Maple-Willow-Larch Commons.