A new adjustment to campus policy regarding access to residence halls has been made for the 2014 Spring Semester and beyond. Rather than allowing access to every hall to all residential students each day until 11 o’clock in the evening, the new policy restricts access so that only residents living in a specific building can gain access through their cards.
Catawba College’s Associate Dean and Director of Conduct, Kara Ostlund, sent out an email on January 17th explaining the matter. In the email she states that this policy is meant to “provide more comfort and safety” and gives examples of how limiting access to residence halls in the past has decreased the rate of hall damage and theft on Catawba’s campus. Resident Assistant Caitlin Billings agrees with Ostlund. She says, “I think it’s a necessary evil because while, yes, it is an inconvenience, students are safer from being targeted by things like thievery and hate crimes, or vandalism.”
As expected, there are many students who disagree with the policy. Forrest Karriker, a sophomore, disagrees with the reasoning presented above. He responds with, “That’s why we have locks on our doors.” First-Year student Bonita Thompson does not like the change in policy either. “I think it takes away from the college experience,” she says, “Me being a freshman, trying to get to know people and having no access to other people isn’t helping.”
Whether you agree with the new policy or not, it is here to stay for now, and all residential students will have to make adjustments for it.
