Off-campus students, who must sign in to residence halls and follow the same procedures as visitors to the dormitories, complain that Boston University’s security policies are poorly communicated.
When students move away from campus, they forgo the ability to freely swipe into dorms unless they purchase a meal plan, which allows them to access dining halls at certain times.
“I have to limit the number of people coming in the building,” Housing Office Director Marc Robillard said. “Off-campus students have their needs addressed off campus, so they are not part of the on-campus community.”
College of Arts and Sciences junior Maddy Myers, who lives off campus, said the university does not clearly communicate off-campus policies.
“I don’t think I was ever informed about the necessity of dining plans for swiping in,” she said. “I came by that knowledge by talking to friends of mine who lived off-campus and by having to sign them into dorms.
“There have been a few instances where not being able to get into a dorm has been a pain, especially with the nighttime cutoff for sign-ins,” Myers continued.
Robillard said the policy is in place for security reasons because he wants to make it “intuitively obvious” that residence halls feel like home.
“My commitment is to the safety and security of on-campus residents,” he said. “When a student has made a conscious decision to live off-campus, I provide the opportunity for them to be guests and visitors. We want to keep it safe, quiet and civil.”
BU policy requires off-campus students without meal plans to have on-campus students sign them into BU dorms, Robillard said. Off-campus students leave identification cards with residence hall security guards and must leave a dorm building by 1 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday and 2:30 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.
Off-campus students who purchase meal plans may still swipe into dorms with dining halls, although one student said he found this problematic.
“[Buying a meal plan] is a rip-off because the best part of living off campus is that food is so much cheaper,” said College of Communication sophomore Martin Swartz in an email. “I can have a bowl of pasta for 30 cents.”
Sociology department associate chair Daniel Monti said students who think the off-campus student policies are an inconvenience should contact administrators.
“I can imagine why the policy is in place,” he said. “Certainly, they want to strictly monitor who comes in and out for safety reasons. If the students find this policy problematic, the easiest way to make it known is to petition to Dean [of Students Kenneth] Elmore.”
Warren Towers resident Steven Meyer, a College of Fine Arts freshman, said the sign-in policies have frequently affected his evening plans.
“I know that in the city, safety is certainly an issue, but it is also annoying sometimes, and I think there should be limits, especially regarding the overnight policy,” he said. “I don’t know if it hinders the college experience, but it does change how you interact socially. I am probably more likely to go to my off-campus friends’ apartments rather than having them come here, especially at night.”