PLAINFIELD - Goddard College's first governing meeting of students, staff and teachers got off to a slow and controlled start Wednesday, but the group decided to review the college budget and tackle other proposals Friday afternoon.

Billed as a first for higher education policy control by students and employees, the Community Governance Council swung into a drawnout discussion of procedural questions.

The debate by students and faculty members centered over how the group should function and with what authority.

Gerald Witherspoon, president of the 600-student school and temporary chairman of the council, suggest to the group that existing committees and policy makers remain in power but under review by the council.

Students called for notification to all employees and students of major decisions reached by autonomous committees which determine policy for each campus - Greatwood and Northwood.

After an hour of discussion the council attendance, estimated at near 200, approved funnelling information to John Mahoney for distribution in the college's weekly newspaper.

Witherspoon said college policies shouldn't take effect until published - the method used by government regulatory agencies.

He concluded from the discussion - no votes were taken - that policy-making meetings should be open to students.

The council was formed to represent all factions of the experimental school, but there was no clear consensus on whether it should become mainly an appeals board for considering complaints against new or existing policy or should initiate new programs, scrapping others.

Steward Adler, a teacher, said one reason for yearly splits and "distrust" between college administration and students is that decision making has been done without notice of meetings or attendence by students.

Greatwood Dean Dr. Ernest Cassara countered that problems developed, not because meetings were closed to students, but because often the debates didn't bring about hard decisions.

Witherspoon said students will be informed of planned meetings and a register of decisions made, with opportunity to appeal through the Governance Council.

More than 25 non-teaching staff employees attended. One state Witherspoon's initiation of the one-man-one-vote council setup will create understanding between administration and students.

The agenda of future meetings will be posted and students already have suggested a thorough review of proposed spending at the school.

"Initially we will review the budget and I think the council will grow in power as weeks go by," Witherspoon told the group.

The group also decided to act on individual proposals rather than set board policy.

Proposals may include requests for money to begin an FM radio station at the school, extend the college program to Mexico and other sities in the nation and outfit a print shop.

Student unrest over the method of selecting a successor to Dr. Royce S. Pitkin, founder and president for 31 years, resulted in formation of a student-teacher selection panel and a referendum on which several candidates were preferred.

After Witherspoon was hired, he promised employees and students even larger opportunity to determine major school policies and a governance council to meet weekly.