New parietals proposal fails
By JOE TROMBELLO
News Writer
Members of the Campus Life Council met Monday for the final time this academic year to discuss a Senate resolution for the extension of parietal hours.
Siegfried Hall Senator Rick Harris presented the resolution, which called for the extension of parietals until 1 a.m. on weekdays to provide students with additional time for group study. After much debate, the resolution failed 9-7; resolutions require a 2/3 majority to pass as a recommendation to Father Mark Poorman, vice president of Student Affairs.
Harris said that most students worked on homework from 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. and that the current parietal time of midnight hindered students' ability to work collaboratively on projects and presentations.
Harris also stressed the importance of the preservation of quiet hours, which would remain at midnight, in order to keep the noise in the dorms at a reasonable level. Harris said that quiet hours are currently not strictly observed in most dorms.
"Along with the discussion on the issue of parietal extension, we'll put the focus back on quiet hours," he said.
Rectors expressed concern at the strain that an additional hour of parietals would put on residence hall staff such as resident assistants and rectors.
"We have to be aware of the staff," said Brother Jerome Meyer, Knott Hall rector. "They do a lot that people are not aware of ... they are dealing with emotional, psychological and family problems [faced by hall residents]. I see a value to parietals from a staff point of view."
Students commented that if parietals were to be extended, future RAs would realize the time commitment before applying for the job.
"That is just something that people go into the job knowing if it's on the job description," said Trip Foley, former student body vice president.
Although students cited statistics from a 2001 survey in which 80 percent of over 3,000 students surveyed responded favorably to the extension of parietals, rectors questioned whether their approval was simply to increase personal freedom.
"I wonder how much there is a need [for parietals extension] versus a desire to increase liberty," said Heather Rakoczy, Pangborn Hall rector.
Rakoczy said that she did not see a great need for parietals extension simply to provide additional study time, as the 24-hour space allotted in Pangborn was frequently filled with the same couples not engaged in academic work. Students responded by commenting that common spaces were not conducive to studying and that students often required the use of a dorm room with computer access to prepare presentations and projects.
Rectors also said that they feared a parietals extension to allow greater time for group work could adversely impact the roommate not engaged in a study group, preventing him or her from an additional hour's use of their dorm room.
"My concern is that, if I'm a roommate not in a study group, that means when I can get back into my room – as my room – is now one hour later. The ramification is that it keeps me out of my dorm room [longer] if you have a study group," said Father Peter Jarret, Keough Hall rector.
Students responded by saying that scheduling arrangements with roommates naturally involve a compromise that living together with other people.
"The dynamics of any dorm room is that there is a lot of compromise," said Erin Cushing, off-campus senator. "The positives that this [parietals extension] would bring ... would far outweigh the 1 to 2 nights before a project that a roommate might not have total quiet."
Cushing also said that as an off-campus student, midnight parietals deter her from visiting friends on campus and that she prefers to invite friends over to her apartment off-campus rather than visiting them on campus and being required to leave at a certain time. She also said that a parietals extension may help alleviate some of the perceived problems in gender relations on campus.
"Off-campus students don't want to come back on campus to socialize," she said.
After the discussion, Harris proposed the postponement of the resolution to the first CLC meeting of the next academic year, a proposal that failed. The motion to extend parietals an additional hour also failed, but could be brought up again if the Student Senate wishes to conduct further research and draft another proposal.
In other Campus Life Council news:
Henry Scott briefed the CLC on the Student Union's Board report to the Board of Trustees that he and Libby Bishop, former student body president, will be making Thursday. Scott then addressed the mixed feedback received from dance hall commissioners on the new alcohol policy and the banning of in-hall dances that students have faced this year.
Cushing presented the Basis Taskforce report, a committee designed to conduct research and report to Poorman regarding the need and feasibility of a mentoring program through which seniors educate freshmen about problems relating to alcohol use and sexual assault. Cushing said that the committee instead recommended the use of the Big Brother/Big Sister program used in some residence halls to connect freshmen with sophomores, juniors and seniors willing to take on a mentorship role. Cushing said that the Student Activities Office will provide funding for residence halls who have a program in place and that the program will allow for the continuation of a mentoring relationship that a senior-freshman structure would not provide.
Bishop noted that the Communication Taskforce's report mentioned that the Under The Dome Web site has received tens of thousands of hits and will become the official University calendar sometime next year.
All News Stories for Tuesday, April 29, 2003
