As sure as “BC sucks,” Boston University freshmen will want to show off their cinder-block chic dorms to all their friends. The guest policy provides a set of ground rules for overnights and quick visits, in a way that administrators say provides safety and a sense of independence.
“We stack up pretty well with what is out there in a large urban living environment,” Dean of Students Kenneth Elmore said. “We’re trying to give students the responsibility for controlling their space and controlling who goes in and out of their space.”
Students who live on campus can swipe into any of the large dormitories between 7 a.m. and 2 a.m., and they can also sign in guests, defined by the BU Lifebook as people “not assigned to said resident’s room, suite or apartment.” After 2 a.m., hosts must sign anyone — whether an on-campus resident who does not live in a host’s building or a guest completely unaffiliated with BU — in as an overnight guest and leave the guest’s photo I.D. at the security station.
Residents are held accountable for their guests, “including any . . . violation of policies for student residences,” the Lifebook states. When two non-BU students who were signed into Claflin Hall by dorm residents were arrested and charged with assault in January, the Judicial Affairs Office said it conducted a confidential investigation into the hosts’ actions and possible guest policy violations.
Guests staying only one night must check in at the security station and be escorted into the residence by their host. Residents may host up to three guests for up to three consecutive nights, but “must request these overnight privileges by submitting an overnight guest pass . . . before 2 a.m. of the first night of the intended overnight period.” Residents are allowed up to seven overnight guests per semester except “during the first two weeks of the academic year, and during study and final examination periods,” when none are allowed, per Lifebook policy.
The guest policy underwent a drastic revision two years ago amid student call for reform, and this academic year marks only the second the new policy has been in effect.
Prior to the changes, residents housing overnight guests of the opposite gender had to find a co-host of the same gender as the guest. On-campus students were unable to swipe into major residences other than their own after 7 p.m. To have guests after the former 7 p.m. deadline, students filled out study extensions, often used as guest passes rather than for their intended purpose. The administration acknowledged this loophole and eliminated study-extensions in last fall’s guest policy revision.
Aly Isaac, a College of Communication junior, said she thinks the changes have benefitted on-campus living, but added there is room for improvement.
“I think it’s improved significantly since freshman year,” Isaac said. “I didn’t have too many problems with it last year. The biggest problem was when I would lose my I.D.”
Isaac said she has been inconvenienced when, after misplacing her Terrier Card, she was not immediately readmitted into her building — a commonly heard complaint about the necessity of the Terrier Card for access to large dorms.
Kadyane D’Addorio, a College of General Studies sophomore, said she has mixed feelings about the liberal guest policy because of alleged sexual assaults in the last year that reportedly involved guests who would not have been allowed into dorms under the old policy.
“It kind of makes me nervous that you can just sign anyone in,” D’Addorio said. “But you’re also responsible for your own safety. If you don’t lock your door, that’s your fault.”
