Busted...now what?
By MARIBEL MOREY
Assistant News Editor
Many prospective students are awed by the crazed football fans, the Golden Dome or the sense of community that is sensed throughout campus, especially within residence halls. There might not be fraternities or sororities at Notre Dame, but the dorms are pretty close to that — except that Valentine's Day ends at midnight here.
According to DuLac, "visiting hours for guests of the opposite sex are not to begin before 10 a.m. on any day and are not to extend beyond 2 a.m." What might have seemed as a small detail during spring visitation affects the lives of every student on campus.
"Yes, parietals have a larger effect on social life. I would have picked another school if I would have seen the effect it has on the social life," said Michelle Merlo, sophomore math and business major.
Michelle's life at Notre Dame took a turn last semester when the fire alarm went off in Carroll at 7:30 am — while she was in her boyfriend's room. Their parietals case was taken directly to Residence Life.
"For the most part, less than an hour is up to their [rectors'] discretion. More than an hour they come to us," said Jeffrey Shoup, director of residence life. "The longer the violation, the more intentional it becomes,"
For the most part, 10-15 minute violations end with a warning while 30 minute violations or more go directly to ResLife, said Sister Adrienne Piennette, rector of Welsh Family Hall.
Both Michelle and her boyfriend were not allowed to return to their dorm for the remainder of the fall semester in response to ResLife's decision. She was forced to live off campus and may not enter her former residence, Howard Hall, without permission.
"I know I need to face the consequences. It was hard last fall, with the blizzard and having to live off campus," said Merlo.
Most people who break parietals make the same mistakes.
"They leave early when they think everyone is asleep. Six o'clock might be early for them, but not for the rector," said Shoup. "A couple of times a year, roommates turn parietal cases in. Ninety-nine percent of the time a hall staff hears them talking in the room."
Although Michelle's case did not involve alcohol, Shoup said most cases involve intoxicated friends.
After a party, "some students might be too drunk to make a decent decision and drunk enough that they don't want to go back to their dorm-hall monitor," said Shoup. "When they're intoxicated, they're talking louder than they thought they were."
Some students, however, say they enjoy parietals and others disagree so strongly that they move off campus, said Shoup.
"Parietals quiet the dorm down for rest and study," said Piennette.
The administration sees parietals as a three-prong approach of safety, security and privacy, said Shoup.
"I know there's the issue of privacy and this school has to keep this tradition as a big Catholic school in keeping its dignity and high standard of name," said Merlo. However, she does not understand, however, why her punishment continues past Residence Life.
The punishment finalized by ResLife included off-campus housing for the remainder of the fall semester and residence in a different dorm during the spring semester. She now lives in Walsh Hall. In May, her punishment from ResLife will be over, but she is still banned from Howard.
Since Merlo missed her friends, she tried talking to Howard's rector, Sister Anne Dougherty, to move back next fall.
"[Dougherty] understands I want to live with my friends, but she does not think I respect the authority in Howard," Merlo said.
As decided by ResLife, Merlo cannot enter Howard this year. According to Merlo, however, she cannot move back into the dorm next year nor can she visit without an appointment.
"What's ruining my experience is not being able to go back to my dorm and that has nothing to do with the University, but rather the rector," said Merlo.
Dougherty would not comment without speaking to Bill Kirk, assistant vice-president for residence life.
Parietals violations are an issue for every dorm.
"I would be naïve to think they don't [break parietals]. I'm not out to catch them. It's a policy of the University, and I'm hired to enforce the rules of the University," said Piennette.
Piennette said she had a situation where a student had repeated parietal violations. ResLife decided to move her off campus, but she recommended otherwise. The student was moved to another dorm.
When asked if she would let the student move back in, Piennette said, "I think I would because I think she learned from it. I think we learn from our mistakes. If she learned from her mistakes, then I would be willing to talk to the individual, but it's particular to the individual."
Shoup stresses that rectors have complete control whether students move hall to hall because rectors have to sign pull-in forms. When a student is forced out of his or her dorm, the rector decides whether to let him or her back in.
Merlo's best friend and former roommate, Maureen Doyle, is aware of each rector's discretion and was hesitant to talk.
"I'm trying to get into Walsh and I don't want to jeopardize that," she said.
Merlo moved out in the Fall, but now Doyle spends most of her time with Merlo in Walsh.
"Any time you lose a member of the community it hurts," Doyle said.
Before that morning in Carroll, Merlo lived in a quad on the fourth floor of Howard. Now she lives in a quint in Walsh with two other girls.
"I feel like our relationships [with friends] haven't changed, but something was taken away," Merlo said.
Each dorm has discretion on parietal issues. Although Sister Kathleen Beatty, rector of Badin Hall, has not encountered a case in her dorm where a resident is uprooted from campus.
"I'm tired of it, I just stick to the book. I've been here for 10 years," Beatty said.
Although Piennette understands that there must be students who break parietals in Welsh Family, she has not seen a violation of more than 20 minutes.
University administrators are aware that there are repeatedly occurring parietal violations that they never hear about.
"In any given night there are hundreds of parietal violations, but it's like looking at the speed limit — it's a good guideline. A majority of students still follow it and are respectful of it. And for the overall good of the community, parietals are good guidelines," Shoup said.
Some however, feel parietal punishments cause a negative effect on the community.
"Notre Dame's big thing is about community. [Merlo] was taken away from that for a semester — extending the punishment is really extreme now," said Emilie Robb, Merlo's friend and sophomore Howard resident.
"Freshman year I loved this school and now I just think that rectors have too much control. There's no uniformity across the board, and it takes away from campus life," said Merlo. "It took away from my sophomore year."
All News Stories for Wednesday, February 14, 2001
