Policy Unsupported By Student Body

I was quite appalled by several of the things Chancellor Silber wrote in his letter yesterday to The Daily Free Press. The first of which was the seemingly condescending tone with which you chose to address the student body.

As far as the Guest Policy is concerned, I think it has its pros and cons like every policy in the world. Obviously, you cannot be expected to please all of the people all of the time, but I think even you have admitted that our Guest Policy needs tweaking. And I say “our Guest Policy” because it is part of “our” school. The school belongs to the students, and it should reflect that accomplishments, failures and their wants and needs.

I’ll admit that the current Guest Policy does provide a safe atmosphere in the dorms and prevents much of the eventual crime of an urban city like Boston. However, it does not accurately reflect the student body. You have tried to create a school that produces intelligent, prepared adults who are ready to succeed in the real world, yet you have administered a Guest Policy that treats us as children. The Guest Policy is full of so many loopholes and exceptions that in all, it is non-functional and only a nuisance to the student body. If I were asked to make changes to the Guest Policy, I can guarantee they would all be supported by the student body: changes like doing away with not allowing students to enter dorms that they do not live in after the dining halls close. I would extend the number of days that an overnight guest can stay from 3 to 5. I would also say that a guest does not need to give notice, since there are always RAs on duty who can decide whether to allow an overnight guest just as well as an office secretary.

I’m also not certain as to whether you are aware that there are places on campus where none of these regulations are enforced such as South Campus and Bay State Road. Why are some students not subject to the stringent policies that others are? The main issue is the students at this school want to be treated as adults who are responsible for themselves. I think I am perfectly capable of determining who I should allow access to my room and when.

I am also appalled by the tone that you use when referring to students and sex. You assume we are all hormone-controlled entities that have no ability to feel or think for ourselves. You also seem to think the Guest Policy prevents people from having sex when and where they want. If I were to want to have sex with someone, I could easily find someone who lives in my dorm and would want to, but the majority of BU students don’t do this. I am sure most of the people who bother their roommates by having sex in their rooms are freshmen who live in the same dorm or possibly even the same hall. This is another instance where I feel that I am capable of deciding with whom, when and where I have sex. As an intelligent, adult student at BU, you should trust me the same way my parents do to make my own decisions about sex. Your job is not to dictate all of those things, and no matter how much you try, there will always be a way for the irresponsible to do the irresponsible.

The final thing I want ask you is who are all of these students that you allegedly spoke to about the Guest Policy? They are certainly a minority at BU, if they actually exist. I have always had the belief that you are someone who is unapproachable and that you do not consort with students. Have you ever just walked through the halls of CAS or COM and asked students about their problems and concerns? If you really wanted to know how the students felt you could hold a “Town Hall Meeting” to discuss the Guest Policy and include parents, faculty, Residence Hall directors, security guards and most importantly, students. There is a way to provide safety to the dorms and still allow students to act and feel like adults.