As students prepare for the general room selection process the Office of Residential Life (ResLife) has announced several changes to its housing policy that will take effect in the fall. These changes include a reduction in single-sex dorm space and the creation of additional quiet homes on Lawn and Home avenues, making both streets “quiet.”
Quiet houses require that all noise generated must not be audible outside the house. Unlike unaffected houses on other streets, where first noise violations receive warnings, a noise violation by a quiet house will automatically be referred to the Student Judicial Board (SJB).
According to Rich DeCapua, Assistant Director of ResLife, although all students are expected to conform to community standards and all noise violations are technically illegal, ResLife is only implementing this policy for the houses on Lawn and Home avenues because these streets are considered “mixed communities.”
Whereas some streets such as Fountain and Vine have a high concentration of University-owned property, members of the Middletown community make a sizable population on Lawn and Home.
“The typical Wesleyan gathering [on these streets] attracts more attention than those on Fountain,” DeCapua said.
The transition to this policy will be gradual, according to DeCapua. This year half of the houses on Home Avenue were designated as quiet houses; next year, all of the houses will be.
According to De Capua, the decision to designate these buildings as quiet houses is the culmination of many years’ worth of complaints by various community members, including students. In particular, the Association of Wesleyan Area Residents (AWARE) has played an active role in lobbying for revised noise violation policies with regards to wood-frame houses.
DeCapua said he has not heard any complaints about this policy from rising seniors. He said that at six community standards workshops, which more than half of the current junior class attended, no one voiced any objections.
“At each session people would raise their hands but they would always have logistical questions,” he said. “They always wanted to know about parking or Public Safety. No one had any objections because everyone understood why we’re doing it.”
In part, DeCapua credits students’ favorable reactions to this change to the decision-making process, which involved cooperation between Interim Dean of the College Peter Patton, ResLife, and the Undergraduate Residential Life Committee (URLC) of the WSA.
More importantly, however, DeCapua emphasized that the policy is not intended to punish.
“[The students] are adults and we treat them that way,” he said. “As it is, a small percentage of current seniors are causing noise complaints. Most people already treat their houses like quiet houses.”
Mikki Columbus ’05 who is hoping to live in a quiet house next year agrees.
“I don’t think having a quiet house limits you from having parties,” she said. “You just have to be more respectful.”
Liz Jones ’05 understands the necessity for the policy, but is nevertheless disappointed with the decision.
“I do understand that people other than students live there and that we can be pretty loud, especially on weekends,” she said. “I’m just annoyed that the most desirable houses are going to be quiet houses. Making both Lawn and Home avenues quiet seems a bit excessive.”
For those whose behavior does elicit complaints, however, an enforcement of the “specific community standards” for living in these houses is necessary according to DeCapua.
“People living in houses have to be aware that it’s different than living in Clark,” DeCapua said. “They have to worry about trash, pets, things that when you’re living in a neighborhood you have to pay attention to.”
The second major change Reslife is implementing is a decrease in the number of single-sex halls.
Single-sex halls, which for the past number of years have included the top and bottom floors of all the Hewitt dorms, will only include two halls in Hewitt 8.
According to DeCapua, the decision came after the professional staff of Hewitt reviewed statistics on housing preferences among incoming freshmen.
“The need for single-sex halls has drastically decreased,” DeCapua said.
Hannah Gay, ’06, a residential advisor in Hewitt 10, agrees with this assessment.
“I have lived on an all-girls hall two years in a row and neither year has been by choice,” she said.
Gay also believes, however, that people unfairly attach a stigma to single-sex halls and is glad that the option will remain for those who are interested.
“I like the cleaner bathrooms and it smells good,” she said. “I know there’s not as huge a demand as there was last year and if people don’t request it, it’s good to cut back. But I think it should always be an option for people who want it.”
Pat Welsh, ’05, a residential advisor in Hewitt 8, also supports the decision.
“There are always going to be people who don’t want to be there,” he said. “But if people want to live there they should have that wish afforded them.”
In addition, the existence of six single-sex hallways makes the placement of students returning from study-abroad programs more difficult. This change will satisfy both ResLife, which seeks more flexibility in assigning these students housing, as well as the students themselves, who may not wish to live on a single-sex hall.