The Office of Student Affairs and Residential Life (ResLife) have begun a campaign to increase student awareness and use of the University overnight guest policy, citing the large number of students and their unregistered guests who have been documented for violating the code of Non-Academic Conduct. A link to the policy, which requires all overnight guests to fill out a contact and medical form, has been permanently placed under the “Student Life at Wesleyan” section of the E-Portfolio after rotating through the alert box.

Scott Backer, assistant director of Student Life and Student Conduct, explained the reasoning behind this change in placement.

“It has always been part of our policies and procedures, but what happened is that a lot of students were just unaware,” Backer said. “We are trying to get students to utilize the policy.”

According to Backer, the University grew concerned after finding that a large number of students were documented for violations of the Non-Academic Code and then were found with unregistered guests after their guests too were written up for University violations. Residential Advisors (RAs) had also raised the issue following complaints from residents that they were unable to find the form, which previously had been linked to the ResLife homepage.

The University determined that increasing awareness and accessibility of the guest form would enhance its use and thus decided to use the E-Portfolio for this purpose.

The overnight guest policy, which last underwent changes three years ago, requires all overnight guests of a University student to fill out a form providing standard contact and medical information in case of an emergency or other situation. Minors must also provide a parent or guardian’s signature permitting the University to authorize any necessary medical treatment.

The policy is enforced through the code of Non-Academic Conduct, and failure to comply is considered a minor violation usually entailing only a warning, according to sanctioning guidelines for the Student Judicial Board (SJB).

CaVar Reid ’11, an RA in Fauver Freshman, noted an additional assessment regarding the policy’s lax use.

“I don’t think that finding the form has been an issue,” Reid said. “I think it is more a problem of students abusing this privilege. What I’ve told [my residents] is to make sure to go through the formal process… make sure your friends aren’t here breaking the rules because you are responsible.”

For other students, however, no such message was ever received.

“I remember having heard about [the guest registration policy] sometime last year, but I haven’t really noticed anything this year either,” said Dan Kieval ’11.

Eliana Theodorou ’12 cited a similar experience.

“I vaguely remember my RA telling me, but I didn’t know where to find the form,” Theodorou said. “I feel pretty safe in the dorms, though.”

Director of Public Safety (PSafe) Dave Meyer explained the need for the University policy.

“There are a variety of issues and reasoning behind the policy,” Meyer said. “This way we know who’s in the dorms, know the people on campus who aren’t affiliated with the University, and we know who’s responsible for them.”

Backer also noted that in the case of a minor found with any type of medical issue, alcohol-related or other, parent contact information would be needed before any medical procedures.

Maureen Isleib, associate director of ResLife, explained that the policy was not in place because of safety concerns.

“The policy is not intended to keep people ’safe,’” Isleib wrote in an e-mail. “It’s intended to provide the University with information should a situation arise where a guest or the guardian of a guest needs to be contacted.”

Several nearby college campuses have instituted similar policies to varying degrees. The University of Connecticut requires overnight guests in a residential dorm to register and to carry a guest pass at all times. There is also a limit of two people per room per night.

Amherst College does not require any contact or medical form, but does request that all cars acquire a temporary parking pass. Similar policies to Amherst’s have been instituted at Yale University and Williams College, according to administrators at these schools.

Wesleyan Student Assembly (WSA) member and Student Affairs Committee (SAC) Chair Becky Weiss ’10 summarized the purpose and need of the policy.

“The policy makes students aware of their responsibilities as hosts,” Weiss said. “ I do not think its purpose is to ensure campus safety, but rather to make hosts aware that they are responsible for the safety of their guests.”

Administrators hope that the new location of the guest policy in the E-Portfolio will help to ensure greater student responsibility.