Of the 24,000 students who attend Auburn, only approximately 4,000 live in on-campus residence halls.
On-campus regulations include rules against noise violations, pets, certain appliances, alcohol and illegal substances, and visitors of the opposite sex between midnight and noon. Violations are dealt with according to a disciplinary system that varies with the number and severity of offenses.
Sarah Daughtry, graduate student hall director, said in the five years she had been at Auburn, she had not noticed any revision in dorm policy.
This raises the question of whether certain policies, by virtue of having been in place for so long, may be outdated.
The visitation procedure is perhaps the most controversial in this respect.
Aside from the general complaints many students have about the limitations it imposes on their social lives, some students have expressed concern that the rule is unfair, in that it allows more freedom for same-sex relationships.
"I don't think housing really thought about the fact that some people are gay and some aren't," said Bennett Nast, sophomore in aviation management. "It was just a rule that was put in place. I don't think they were really directing it at a specific group."
Daughtry said although she personally had not received any complaints of this nature from residents, she knew the issue had been raised in the past.
"I don't think it's really unfair in that respect because they do give 12 hours of visitation for the opposite sex," said Michael Henry, sophomore in mechancial engineering. "I think most students respect it enough that they'll usually obey it, but I think that there are some cases where it's impractical to obey it."
According to Megan Miranda, sophomore resident assistant, residence hall rules are in place for the benefit of anyone who enters the hall.
"Dorm policies are in place for many reasons, most notably for the protection of all the residents in the hall, the RAs in the hall, anybody who comes into the building," Miranda said.
Students themselves seem to be somewhat apathetic about the rules.
"I think in general they respect them, but if there's something that's kind of inconvenient or kind of a hassle, they'll overlook it," said Anthony Bunger, freshman in pre-electrical engineering. "It's really inconvenient to sign your friend in that goes into the dorm every single day."
Rob Freeman, freshman in civil engineering, said he believes dorm rules are violated frequently. He said visitation violations were probably the most common incidents.
"I think people in past hours is pretty normal," he said. "I think it's kind of dumb that people have to be out by 12."
Not all students disagree with the policy, however.
"I've walked past dorms at 12:30, and there are people screaming, so I can see how that's a good thing," Nast said. "Maybe on the weekend it could be relaxed. If it's a Friday or a Saturday night, I don't really see why they have that rule," he said.
Despite student attitudes toward the rule, Kim Trupp, director of Housing and Residence Life, said she had never received a complaint about it.
"Those hours have been in place for years," Trupp said. "They've been approved by the Board of Trustees, and we don't change them unless students want it to be changed."
According to Trupp, the rule has not been revised because students have not asked for this to happen.
"The RHA (Residence Hall Association) is the student voice to the housing administration," Trupp said. "By virtue of living in the dorms, students are automatically members of the RHA. If students want to recommend a modification or change, they do it through the RHA."
Neither Freeman nor Bunger was familiar with the process.
"I'm guessing I would use that if something happened to come up, but I'd never heard of it before," Freeman said.
It is possible the reason policies are not subject to more revision is most students are not aware they have the ability to suggest changes.
"I think most of the residents aren't sure that they have a say in that," Daughtry said. "Maybe they don't understand that they could voice their opinion and that things could change."
In the end, Bunger is still uncertain if better advertisement of the RHA would make a difference.
"Even if they knew about that, they probably wouldn't do anything just because people are lazy," he said.
It may be that apathy is just an easier way to cope with the restrictions of residential life.
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