New guest policy may have holes

How will Concordia crash our sleepovers?

With no more visitation policies in the dorms, students may intermingle with either gender at any time of day. However, Resident Life has issued a new policy to regulate overnight stays. The question is, will it be followed?

“I’m glad that intervis is not a thing anymore,” Grace Bateman said, a sophomore living in Hallett. “However, I think that the new policy is going to be hard to enforce. People aren’t always going to go down to the desk and report that they have someone staying in their room.”

According to a pamphlet all on-campus students received, only 15 sleepovers can be had per semester. This rule applies to Concordia students and non-Concordia students alike. No matter what age or gender, guests must be signed in by their host student at the hall desk and note the duration of the visit.

Bateman disagrees, claiming same-sex approval might be over the top.

“I don’t think that it should be necessary to report that I have a girl staying in my room since we’re the same gender,” Bateman said. “You didn’t have to do that before with intervis, so why do we have to do it now?”

Anthony Farmer, Assistant Director of Campus Life for Residential Operations and Student Responsibility, supports the regulation, claiming roommates may become uncomfortable with constant visitors.

“(A student) may feel like they have an additional roommate and get tired of that extra guest,” Farmer said. “This policy was written partly to protect students from being overly impacted by guests who stay too often.”

Cody Bekkerus, a freshman floor Resident Assistant in Hallett, agrees.

“I think it’s a good policy,” Bekkerus said. “We definitely do need to restrict visitation in some way.”

Despite his support, he brings up some difficulties.

“The hardest part of this policy is that it’s on honor code,” Bekkerus said. “Last year, when we had intervis, it was easier to keep track of it because if you heard the opposite gender in the room, you could say, ‘hey, you’re not suppose to be in there.’”

During training in early August, RAs were told to keep track of guests to the best of their ability. If they notice any unfamiliar faces, they are to address the situation with the guest and host student. Though Bekkerus believes the issue may be able to police itself.

“If I’m not in my room, or if they walk out at a different time than I do, I won’t see it,” Bekkerus said. “That’s why I feel like it would be a roommate that would say, ‘hey, this guy has been staying with us for four days and I don’t like it. Can you do something about it?’”

Farmer also believes students can address the issue themselves.

“I think that anytime there is change, there’s an adjustment period,” Farmer said. “Education is the major reason students come to college and a lot of that learning takes place outside the classroom in the residence halls.”