USG to edit lockout policy

Undergraduate Student Government is considering a reform to the current residence hall lockout policy.

The Office of Housing and Residence Life imposed heightened penalties for students who leave their residence halls and forget their identification cards this year. USG is searching for answers to concerns regarding the policy.

Housing and Residence Life imposed stricter penalties this year.

USG Liasion Lauren Britsch said that students were displeased with the steeper penalties for what they see as an innocent mistake.

“The most important consequence that has been brought to the attention of USG has been the institution of a form to be filled out by the student who is requesting access to his or her room,” Britsch said. “The form is long and asks unnecessary and silly questions such as, ‘list one strategy that you will use in the future to avoid losing your Tulane ID/room key.’ Filling out this form is a waste of the resident’s time and the time of the person working at the desk.”

In response to these complaints, USG is seeking to revise the policy, Britsch said.

“USG initially contacted the Residence Hall Association to help address the problem, and then proceeded to write a resolution expressing student concerns with the policy and making suggestions for improvements to the policy to make it more student-friendly,” Britsch said. “This resolution passed unanimously at Tuesday’s USG meeting, and it calls for HRL to work with student leaders on addressing concerns with the policy.”

Butler House freshman Maggie Osburn said that she feels the policy could have been better publicized.

“I think there should have been floor meetings instead of just putting up signs because many students are probably oblivious to that,” Osburn said. “They do not draw attention in a way that students could really be expected to understand and follow a new rule.”

HRL has expressed a willingness to include student voices in revising the policy, Britsch said.

“At the Student Affairs Town Hall Oct. 1, HRL Director Todd Schill expressed a willingness on the part of HRL to work with students on revising the policy, so we hope that HRL will address the student concerns as soon as possible,” Britsch said.

Student Affairs Associate Matthew Jasie, however, said that he believes the policy mirrors the norms at other universities.

“Specifically, we looked at other institutions to see how they were handling things,” Jasie said. “The policy was prompted by our concern for the safety of students.”

On the other hand, Britsch said that the new requirement for students who forget their identification actually hinders building security.

“It has been noted that the lengthy process involved with obtaining an access code is distracting the person working the desk from his or her more important duties such as monitoring those entering the building,” Britsch said.

Though the consequences may be significant for students who fail to have their keys or identification, the new policy might not be effective, Osburn said.

“I think people who will forget their cards would forget regardless of the school’s policy,” Osburn said. “It would just be a nuisance for the few who make a mistake.”

Britsch said that students are concerned with more than just being embarrassed by the emergency lockout forms.

“The imposition of significant financial penalties on residents who want to obtain their third access code has been a problematic issue for students,” Britsch said. “Some other problems that have been noted are differences in policies among the various residence halls — resulting in a lack of understanding for the residents about how the policy applies to them — and inconsistent enforcement by those working the desks.”