A group of Ouachita students have organized a Facebook group that aims to change the current open dorm policy. This measure aims to have this privilege available all week, as well as extending the meeting time. The administration has looked at the online petition, but has not yet announced any decisions in this area.
This movement started with Joe Whitted, a freshman music theory composition major.
“We were talking about how the current policy has a strong time restraint on getting to watch movies, study groups and just getting to know a group of mixed-company friends in a private setting away from distractions in order to build a closer bond with those people,” said Whitted. “We decided to make a Facebook group jokingly, but when we started to actually make it, we got serious and thought, ‘What if this works?’”
The group quickly became a grass roots campaign. As of Wednesday, the group had over 500 members, with each membership acting as the equivalent of a signature for a petition to accomplish the group’s goal.
In Whitted’s opinion, this change would mean better student morale.
“[In this policy,] [s]tudents have a better opportunity to get to know each other in a more close and personal atmosphere and can really get a chance to connect with each other,” he said.
The aim here is to change the current rules, not to strike out against restriction itself.
“Some rules need to stay firmly put, I believe,” Whitted said. “Others need to be loosened…[a]nd others, still, need to be taken out entirely, i. e. non-OBU students not being allowed in open dorms.”
If this change comes about, it will not be the first with this policy. The original policy only allowed for one night a month, and that was on a trial basis. After the success of this idea, the policy was expanded. In October of 2006, after fall break, the new open dorm policy allowed Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday nights from 9-11 p.m. to be open dorm nights. With this expansion, however, came stricter measures about dorm entry and curfew — specifically, card entry locks after 9 and no opposite gender students allowed in dorms after 11, according to an e-mail sent to the student body last fall from the Dean of Students, Keldon Henley.
The rules for open dorm have remained: no outside students can participate, student IDs must be left in the lobby with a residence assistant and room doors must stay open.
Henley was an instrumental member in the group that decided these rules and changes. On the suggestion of President Dr. Rex Horne, and after the success of the trial run, Henley met with the Student Senate executive committee, Margaret Frazier, director of campus housing the other housing directors and the resident assisstants. This group selected the three-day-a-week plan
As for the new petition, “I appreciate the fact that students are openly expressing their opinions,”Henley said. “And I would say that we listen to our students and try to understand the motivations behind their thoughts and ideas. As to whether or not the university will meet the requests of this petition[…]I don’t know that I have an answer at this point.”
Currently, Henley finds at least one problem with the petition.
“To come in on this petition is a little difficult to do in specificity, because it is a bit broad in its specifications,” Henley said.
On the whole, Henley appreciates the effort but makes no administrative predictions.
“Whether or not any of the options [presented] … would come to fruition … I don’t know that I have any opinion on that,” Henley said.
As for Whitted, he’s optimistic.
“I think with enough voices with viable reasons why they think we should amend certain rules, keep some, and remove some, then there might be a strong possibility of change,” he said.
