Dorm Policies

Undergraduate housing is a necessity for many students at Andrews University: every year, Lamson Hall and Meier Hall are filled with people ready to immerse themselves in the dorm life experience that Andrews has to offer. All dorms come with their share of charms: small rooms, loud neighbors, the occasional spot of mold to spice up one’s life; but also late-night talks and long-time friends–a community that quickly becomes the backbone of many people’s college experiences.

Over the years, however, many students have pointed out the seeming disparities between Andrews University’s two undergraduate housing residences–namely, in the way things are run. Although the same handbook is used, it seems that many rules and policies are executed differently—many point to curfew policies and rules for student workers as examples. Some argue that Lamson Hall, the women’s dorm, is stricter with their policy enforcement.

After asking around, some deans and RAs, individuals who perhaps have had the most experience with handbook policies, have provided their thoughts on why Lamson and Meier are run differently.

One Lamson worker first acknowledges the positives of dorm life: “You have a support system and you get the experience of having independence without all of the repercussions immediately.” However, she also shares her thoughts on the differences between the dorms: “I don’t really know why this happens, but I am frustrated about it. I have talked to other adults who have worked in other boarding situations, and they say that girls’ dorms and guys’ dorms are typically run differently because they are run by different people, and that’s something I don’t really agree with.”

Specifically, she points out the allowance of jewelry–it is known that, while Lamson workers aren’t allowed to wear any, Meier workers can. “We both go to the same school and the fact that the RAs and the student deans [in the men’s residence hall] can wear jewelry while we can’t is unfair. If both dorms couldn’t wear jewelry, I wouldn’t have as big of an issue with it.”

Meanwhile, Nicole Caran (junior, pre-physical therapy), a Lamson RA of two years, provides some insight on working the front desk of these halls: “Not to say one [set of residence hall policy enforcements] is better than the other, but they definitely have differences with their front desk, RA checks, and so on. Personally, at least for front desk workers [at Lamson], I think the worker should be able to leave the desk quickly to use the washroom or grab a drink. I know Meier just puts up a sign [if the worker needs to leave], so that would be a change I would want to see at Lamson.”

Nels Wangsness (senior, biochemistry), an RA at Meier, provides his opinion on the matter: “I think that it’s definitely true–the residents' experience is obviously different between the two buildings. Although policies are similar, they’re not the exact same–there are a few differences in the roles of the RAs that I’m aware of, as well as expectations for the residents in general. I think this comes from the top down, in that the experiences of the residents depend on the leadership’s interpretations of policies.”

So it seems that the differences could mainly be attributed to two things: 1) Different captains run different ships, and/or 2) young men and young women are seen in a different light, and this affects the way they are treated. Some of these rules are trivial, while others do seem more unfair. Can anything be done about this?

Dean Keila Carmona of Lamson Hall says, “I think that the way that we go about holding people accountable is the same, at the end of the day. Whether it’s evening accountability or anything else, we have the same policy. Now maybe the ways in which we communicate these policies might be different, but I wouldn’t say necessarily that the way in which things are run are different.” She also says that the student handbook plays a role in what policies are enforced in the residence halls as well, as the deans have a responsibility to make sure that these policies are upheld.

Assistant Dean Taylor Bartram of Meier Hall says there is a huge benefit of the community found in residence halls, but also points out, “The biggest thing is that all of our buildings on campus are under different leadership. That’s not better or worse, wrong or right–just different. People are going to have different interpretations, and different buildings/populace have different needs.” He points out tradition as a reason there might be a difference here, and continues, “Is there room for re-evaluation? Yes. And there always should be. We should come frequently to this point of saying, ‘Is this meeting our populace’s needs?’ I’m not sure if things need to change drastically, but maybe the call is for us to assess why we’re doing what we’re doing.”

Andrews is a very diverse place, and serving every person’s needs would be near-impossible. However, it would be good to see more uniformity in the policy enforcement of Lamson Hall residents and Meier Hall residents–especially when it comes to the students who work for these halls. While it is understandable that different leaders have different ideas on how to run a residence hall, some things–jewelry wearing policies, rules for workers, curfew check-in–should be discussed among the deans of both halls so that they can come to an agreement about how these guidelines should be enforced. This way, residents of both dorms will be able to more fully enjoy their Andrews University experience.