Senate sponsors parietals survey
By JASON McFARLEY
Assistant News Editor
Students interested in voicing their opinions about University parietal hours may have an extra incentive to vote in class council elections Wed-nesday, when a survey asking for student views on parietals will appear on ballots.
The student government officials are optimistic the ballot issue is a move that will spur unprecedented change to parietals, the guidelines which regulate visiting hours by members of the opposite sex in Notre Dame residence halls. But University administrators said Monday that the survey alone likely will not drive changes to the long-standing hours.
The survey is part of a Student Senate referendum that will ask students if they are in favor of extending parietals to 1 a.m. on weeknights and ending them before 10 a.m. each day. The referendum would extend parietal hours to 1 a.m. through the week and end them at 9 a.m. every day.
"Through talks with students, it has become evident that we need to do a survey to decide what the next step should be on the issue," said Brooke Norton, student body vice president and student body president-elect.
Norton said referendum results do not require University officials take action but will provide the Student Senate and the Office of the Student Body President with data to analyze and eventually form a proposal.
Depending on survey results, the senate may vote this semester to pass a resolution, Norton said. The measure would then need approval by the Campus Life Council and senior administrators in the Office of Student Affairs.
"This [referendum] is a way to allow students to take an active role in Notre Dame affairs. I'm hoping to see a strong, unified student voice on Wednesday," Norton said.
While Norton acknowledged that informal talks with University officials indicate that the administration is willing to cooperate with student government on the issue, Bill Kirk, assistant vice president to Residence Life said a proposal based on referendum results alone probably will not spur changes to the parietals policy.
"We would need to talk to more students, rectors and administrators before a decision like that is made," Kirk said. "These survey results alone wouldn't dictate policy."
Kirk said many students favor current parietals hours because the regulations allow for quiet, uneventful times in residence halls.
But most students said they are in favor of extending parietals.
Robyn Harridge, who lived in a co-ed residence while in London, said the aim of parietals is misguided.
"I can appreciate the viewpoint that parietals give people time to shower, study or sleep without the opposite sex around," Harridge, a junior, said. "However, parietals do not prohibit visitors of the same sex in rooms, who can be equal distractions from work or sleep."
Harridge said extending parietals earlier in the morning and later at night would help foster the positive gender relations she experienced while living in England.
Joe Lordi agrees.
He said there is some merit to parietals curbing premarital sex and cutting down late-night distractions, but the rules make relationships between males and females awkward.
"I'm tired of the weird relations between sexes, and I'm tired of hearing everyone complain about it. It can be fixed. It should be fixed," the sophomore said.
Both Harridge and Lordi believe having the parietals issue on class election ballots will yield high voter turnout Wednesday. Lordi said he might not have voted had the referendum not been on the ballot.
"I can't speak for the rest of the student body, but anyone that is unhappy with gender relations here should turn out and would be doing a disservice if they didn't," he said.
Father Mark Poorman is interested in receiving student feedback on parietals, said Kevin Berchou, chair of the Senate Residence Life Committee that drafted the ballot issue. Berchou said although senate initiatives do not need administrative backing, Poorman, Notre Dame's vice president for student affairs, recently approved the referendum.
The judicial council will oversee counting of referendum votes Wednesday, but Berchou said he is not sure if the body will release results that night.
All News Stories for Tuesday, February 27, 2001
