March 16, 1995
During the weekend in the residence apartments, students are allowed to come and go as they please. However, on the weekend of March 4 and 5, students were greeted with a sudden change in policy.
The Housing Administration enforced a policy making it mandatory for residents to show their identification cards in order to enter the building from 8 p.m. on Friday until 8 a.m. on Monday.
In addition, visitors to the building must call the person they are visiting and register themselves in the guest log. The guest must also leave a form of identification at the front desk for the duration of their visit.
While the practice of the weekend door-check policy is described in the "Welcome Home!" handbook, which is issued to all residents upon moving into the residence community, the policy of weekend check-in has not been enforced in the residence apartments in recent semesters. Students are only used to complying with the policy nightly, from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m.
"It was a serious inconvenience. I had a friend who had to come up for five minutes to pick up some stuff and I had to check him in," Gareth Grandt, a broadcasting major and apartment resident said.
Director of Housing and Residential Services, Melissa Purcell and Associate Director of Residence Life, Melinda O'Brien, were contacted to respond about the reinstated policy, however they were both unwilling or unable to comment on the subject.
While the housing staff avoided comment, a hall assistant for the residence apartments who wished to remain anonymous, claims that the policy was implemented due to the recent vandalism in the apartment building lobby. According to the source, one food vending machine located in the first floor lobby had been broken into multiple times.
Despite the risk of vandalism, staff has received negative reaction from residents.
Nina Gorfain, a Russian major, claims that "It makes us feel like we are living in a prison."
Grandt feels that the check-in hours will not stop the vandalism. "During the week from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., anybody can walk into the apartments," Grandt said. "I would imagine that there would be more traffic of people we don't know during the week because there are a lot more people here at school."
Other negative reaction was evident by the obscenities scribbled on the flyer taped to the front desk, telling residents about the policy. Due to all the negative reaction the policy received, it wasn't enforced last weekend.
Each lobby throughout the residence community is staffed on a 24-hour basis by student hall assistants who, despite complaints, are instructed to maintain the security of all residents and property in the building by enforcing these safety precautions, according to the residence life handbook.