Collaboration changed Policy

When Boston University students returned from summer break in 1989, they faced a myriad of new restrictions greatly limiting their social activity on campus.

But when today’s students return next semester, they will reclaim some of the privileges that were nonexistent for the past 13 years.

And through the years, Chancellor John Silber had remained steadfast in his continual pledges to have the Guest Policy remain without change. In April of 2000, Silber told the Free Press, ‘Students can rot until hell freezes over and that policy is not going to be changed. … If you want to waste your time trying to change that policy, be my guest. But I don’t think you are going to succeed.’

However, the students have succeeded.

And while 1,000 students rallied in Marsh Plaza protesting the proposed Guest Policy for more than two hours in September 1988, it was an in-depth proposal compiled last semester by a joint Student Union and BU Free effort that began the process toward change.

The proposal is called ‘Project: University Perspectives,’ and it ‘is a research project designed to determine how the guest policy affects the lives of Boston University Students,’ according to a copy of the proposal, available on the BU Free website.

‘Project: University Perspectives’ includes statistics from more than 1,000 student surveys and 200 student responses that were compiled over a five-week period. According to the results, more than 99 percent of surveyed students were dissatisfied with the current Guest Policy.

According to a copy of the ‘Report of the Committee to Consider Revisions of Boston University’s Visitor and Overnight Guest Policy,’ dated Oct. 14, 2002, the committee ‘carefully read and evaluated the ‘Project: University Perspectives’ document submitted by the student group to the administration last spring.’

Apparently, the students’ voices have finally been heard.

Current Student Union President Ethan Clay said it had a lot to do with the way the administration was approached.

‘I think that we realized protest has not been well received in the past on BU’s campus, so we decided to approach administration in the way in which we would like to be approached: with respect and understanding,’ he said.

BU Free also understood this need for revised protest against the Guest Policy, and, according to BU Free President Emily Hemphill, the organization achieved recognition by ‘just making it an official student group and being present in the GSU every Friday.’

Hemphill said BU Free’s separation from the student government allowed it to receive the student support it needed.

‘Sometimes people don’t have a lot of faith in the student government,’ she said. ‘Since we were a non-student government initiative, people took more interest.’

However, the road to Guest Policy reform hit a roadblock with the resignation of former President Jon Westling last summer.

According to former Union President Zachary Coseglia, speaking after the release of the proposal last March, Provost Dennis Berkey suggested to him that the most effective method of reforming the Guest Policy would be going straight to the top.

He said the provost told him, ‘If you want to change something like this, you have to go to God, and in this case, his name is Jon Westling.’

With Westling out of the picture and the Guest Policy a major piece of his slate’s platform, Clay was faced with a difficult task this fall.

Clay said the day he heard about Westling’s resignation he called Silber and set up a meeting for the following week to discuss many issues, including the Guest Policy.

By the middle of the summer, Clay had revised the ‘Project: University Perspectives’ proposal and delivered a copy to Silber. In a second meeting, Silber promised the release of Guest Policy changes prior to the annual meeting of the Board of Trustees.

According to Clay, before the Guest Policy changes were actually released, Clay had been promised a meeting with Silber to review, and in Clay’s mind, negotiate the changes.

However, Clay said that Executive Vice President Joseph Mercurio, ‘made it very clear that the changes were non-negotiable.’ Instead, the meeting became focused on clarification, Clay said, since students tend to use different terminology regarding the policy than administrators.

Nonetheless, the road to Guest Policy change came to an end.

As far as the Student Union is concerned regarding future changes, Clay said that at this point in time the Union would continue that discussion.

‘The purpose of the Student Union will be to continue the dialogue between students and administrations about their respective concerns regarding the guest policy,’ he said.

Clay said he is also hopeful for future changes to be made depending on the behavior of students next semester.

‘If the current changes are well received, I think that the Student Union will look to suggest other minor modifications that could be made,’ he said.

According to Clay, these suggestions will most likely include proposed modifications in areas of heavy student concern such as curfews and increased access for off-campus students.

BU Free, on the other hand, said it has no specific plans for new actions next semester. According to Hemphill, most of the responses her organization has received regarding the policy have been positive.

Even with the apparent satisfaction, BU Free said it planned to remain focused on its Guest Policy reform crusades.

‘As soon as we can see Guest Policy changes we are satisfied with, BU Free will cease to exist,’ Hemphill said. ‘That’s our main goal and purpose.’

The selection of a new university president could have a positive effect on the Guest Policy movement, according to Hemphill.

‘With [changes in the Board of Trustees] going on and pressure from the Boston government for campuses to retain students, I would hope to think that the new president would want to keep the students happy,’ she said. ‘Part of keeping the students on campus and happy is changing the Guest Policy.’

Hemphill said that BU Free would base any future actions depending upon the receipt of next semester’s changes.

‘If everything goes well, at the end of next semester we’d like to push for more change and further integration of our campus,’ she said.

For now, BU Free will remain devoted to its founding purpose and ideals.

‘We’re just waiting to see what happens we do have a power that the student government doesn’t have,’ Hempill commented. ‘We have the ability to take a stance drastically different from the administration. BU Free is going to make sure that the student voice is heard.’

Clay, in his address to the Senate the week of the policy change’s announcement, said, ‘The changes that will be implemented in spring of 2003 will be a test.’

‘The administration has made it very clear,’ Clay said, ‘that if students can’t handle these changes and continue the level of professionalism that you see at the present, then these policy changes will be revoked.’

However, Clay said the students would be the final determiner as to whether or not further changes could be enacted. The students will be tested next semester in maturity, according to Clay, who said if the students act as responsible with the new rules as they always have, ‘[the administration] will be more willing to make other changes.’