Students arrived in Palm Court around 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 18, sitting down and chatting in groups. These Novocollegians turned out to participate in one of the school’s venerable traditions – the Towne Meeting.

“Committees I’ve run in the past have been more regimented,” thesis student and Towne Speaker Kenny Wang explained. “The heckling culture of the Towne Meeting is something I had to get used to. At the same time, it is refreshing and interesting – we even had stockades there.”

“People were throwing various poultices and salads and – carrots,” Wang continued. “Someone threw a carrot I think.”

The stockades were part of the Towne Meeting’s French Revolution theme. In addition the entertainment provided by locking students in the stockade, serious motions were put forth and discussed.

Despite noise from a plane passing overhead, a motion for a $12,488 subsidy for the Four Winds was read and passed. Election code reform was also passed – including adding descriptions for each New College Student Alliance (NCSA) position, and moving elections as to not interfere with the Halloween Palm Court Party. Palm Court Party themes were presented, campus dog policy was discussed and options for auditing the Fitness Center were compared.

“The meeting went well,” Wang said. “We got through each agenda item without too much of a fuss. We had a lively debate, but we didn’t let it devolve into unconstructive debate.”

Traditionally, attendance at Towne Meetings declines after the first meeting of the year. Wang encouraged New College students to try and attend the upcoming Towne Meetings.

“We all have a stake in how our school is run – from the library closing hours to the Fitness Center,” Wang said. “We determine that. The Towne Meeting has a very important job to do.”