Four years is how long I anticipated receiving my freedom. College was my ticket to a new life: a life free from questioning parents and everything else that goes along with high-school life. Most of my anticipation for college was fueled by the idea of finally being an independent adult. However, Boston University does not believe that their students are adults. This school does not display any trust in its students, something that an educational institution must do. The dormitory policies at this school are absolutely absurd. I know most of you agree.
The fact that I must sign a card and submit my I.D. to security guards after 8 p.m. to enter a dorm at the school that I attend is ridiculous. This is only the tip of the iceberg. If I want to have a female guest sleep over in my room this year, I need six signatures to allow her to do so. These six signatures break down as so. Two signatures are required from my roommates. Boston University apparently does not believe that its students are mature enough to talk to their own roommates and confirm that their guest’s presence is OK with them. Three signatures are required from three female residents in my building stating that my guest can stay with them. God forbid I have a girl sleep in my room. At 20 years old I believe I can make my own decision about whether or not I can have a person of the opposite sex sleep in my room. Maybe I’m just too liberal. The final signature is my own, stating that I oversaw the whole process and offer my stamp of approval. In doing so I am signing a document that mocks my freedom. Keep in mind you only need one signature to get a passport.
The point I’m trying to get at is this: If an institution wants to create a sense of community based on a strong relationship between the administration and its students, administrators must treat their students as equals, in this case, not as children. Here is a suggestion: Use the example of another school that is located in the middle of an American city, New York University, and allow your students freedom to visit their own dorms and sign guests in for the night. I am confident that the safety of NYU’s campus is the same as ours. The location of our campus poses no more danger to its students than NYU’s does to its own students. So the argument that BU’s location within a city requires that it have more security is false. If President Brown wants to start making a difference at this university, I suggest he consider giving his students their freedom as his first priority.
Tom Lemmo ENG ’08
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