When members of the Class of 2014 celebrated their first weekend as college students, they were undoubtedly willing to test the waters and see what their newfound freedom as college students could help them get away with. But according to The Huffington Post, things may not be as easy as they may have hoped.
A list of the 11 strictest colleges in the U.S. released by the website includes Boston University along with schools like West Point and Brigham Young University for its zero tolerance policy regarding alcohol in the dorms. But while BU's policy might seem strict on paper, compared to the other schools on the list, its inclusion seems almost silly. For example, at Bob Jones University, freshmen need prayer captains to escort them to late night jobs, while students at Brigham Young are not allowed to grow beards without a doctor's note. At Oral Roberts University, piercings, tattoos and facial hair are all prohibited and at Hyles-Anderson College things as scandalous as card games and Hollywood movies are forbidden.
While students may complain about BU's alcohol policy, at least it is a rule that makes sense. BU's policy is not very different from that of many other comparable universities, very few of which are remotely tolerant of drug or alcohol use in dorm buildings, and many of which threaten penalties similar to BU's. And while the school has a so-called "zero tolerance" policy, students know that this is often not enforced, with lenient resident assistants giving students warnings for their first offense instead of immediately turning them over to the administration.
The policies at BU that are truly strict are the ones that are required on an urban campus, including rules about campus security and swiping into the dorms. Even so, BU has made a lot of progress in recent years, revising the guest policy to a much more reasonable standard.
Yes, there is more that could be done by the administration. The development of a clear medical amnesty policy on campus is a necessary step, and BU needs to get with the times and look seriously at gender-neutral housing. But as much as students may complain, ultimately the strict rules that we do have are there for our safety, which is a much worthier cause than protecting our students from the horrors of Tom Cruise movies and facial hair.
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