Are the Enforcers Enforcing? By Michelle Nguyen

Residents or Residence Assistants, who is controlling who? As first year students arrived on campus everyone was required to sign a code of conduct about the rules and regulations of each Residence Halls. After everyone settled in, there was a mandatory floor meeting for each student to attend in understanding the rules and regulations. Some of these rules include, Minors are not allowed to possess, consume, or have the presence of alcohol in their rooms, quiet hours on weekdays, and not damaging items in the room such as the Microfridges.

As time passed, more residents noticed what rules were not being enforced which gave them the mindset to do whatever they wanted. Rules are getting broken from right to left in the first year residence halls. Students drinking under age and smoking illegal drug in their room is unacceptable. So why aren’t these students not getting penalized for these actions but are passed by those who are supposed to enforce them? With considered students, they feel these rules need to be enforced before it is too late and something unsafe happens.

With high cost in living expenses for these residence halls, rules are not being enforced causing DU to be a non-safe living environment for students. Student Kiara explains “I do not feel safe at two o’ clock in the morning when under aged intoxicated students are trying to get into my room when they are unaware that they are trying to open the wrong door.” She also states, “These rules need to be enforced more because of the tacit “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” where the Residence Assistants do not do their jobs in enforcing the rules unless it becomes a bigger issue.” Another student living in the residence halls believes that these rules should be enforced more. Students Alex and Cassidy state, “These rules should be enforced because people are getting away with asinine behavior but these rules do make people more responsible.”

So why is DU covering the real story of the lives in the residence halls? With the reputation of the University of Denver they should not let these rules be unbroken. So are these rules really being enforced? Resident Assistant Jenna explains, “These rules should be enforced more because these rules promote a safe and inclusive environment to allow students to feel safe with living here in the residence halls. Also, I feel that some of these broken rules do go undocumented because as an R.A. we cannot be everywhere so it will help if residence can tell us if there is an issue so the problem can be resolved.”

Many students feel that these rules should be enforced more because they have to live here for at least a year. From my experience living in a residence hall, I feel that rules are broken all the time and no one does anything because no one knows. People are not doing their jobs in making students feeling safe and they are promoting drugs and alcohol to students by allowing them to do it. But I also feel that these enforcers are trying but they do not see those that are unnoticed. R.A. Annika states that “Rules are necessary for freshman for a healthy living environment but it is also hard to be a bad guy but things have to be done.” What more can be done for students to feel safe?

On the other hand, some students feel that the rules are being enforced and should be a little more lenient. Student Jack states, “I think rules should be more tolerable because we are in college. So people should be more tolerable but respectful.” Another student states “Some should be enforced like the smoking rule but lessen the rule about alcohol because realistically everyone knows that we are doing it so no there is no point in stopping it.” Even though these students feel that they should be allowed the freedom, I think that everyone is entitled to having fun in college but we are also here for an education and to get what we want in life and not throwing it away on parties.

There are many students for and against the rules but there are those that feel that the rules are just right. Student Hunter explains, “I am satisfied with the rules they give us space and the R.A.’s do their job by enforcing the rules when they have to.” So are these rules actually being enforced or are the R.A.’s being too lenient?

I do not think leniency should be an excuse for the R.A.’s or the resident directors because if they allow problems go unnoticed and escalate then these problems will become more dangerous and a liability to the University. Since we are in rape awareness week I should bring up the issue that some of these dangers do lead to life threatening events. For example, on September 15, 2009 The New York Times published an article called “Four Arrested in Rape Case at Hofstra Dorm,” this article explains that a 18 year old girl was trying to retrieve her phone in the men’s restroom in the dorms because someone had taken it from a local dance club in Hempstead, New York. At 3 o’clock A.M. police found her lying on the bathroom floor in which she was sexually assaulted. They arrested 4 men for rape. So where were there R.A.’s or anyone helping this girl? I am not saying that this can happen here at the University of Denver but we need to be more aware of things that can happen or will happen.

Reading this article, I feel that I would not want something like this happen at the University of Denver. But I feel safety is still an issue. From reading the school’s news paper The Clarion, they have a section about the police reports on campus. Majority of these reporting are from first year residence halls. One report states, “On Wednesday, Feb. 20 at 2:38 a.m. an underage student was severely intoxicated and in possession of an alcohol container at Johnson-McFarlane Hall. Campus Safety confiscated the contraband and Denver Police transported the student to a detox facility for treatment.” With news in our own school’s news paper everyone knows that these issues are happening and yet nothing is getting done. Wouldn’t you think the housing directors or someone would try and fix these problems if they are getting publish for the whole world to see?

So I see you’ve read this far which means you know there is a problem with the safety at University of Denver. I’m not writing this blog to scare you but to find a way to fix this problem. To the directors of housing: Be more involved with the people living on campus and when you know that there is an issue that has occurred, make sure the problem is resolved. Also, when you are selecting the R.A.’s, find students that are willing to do their jobs and are willing to enforce the rules. To the all R.A.’s: This blog is to tell you that you need to do your job. You have all rights be friends with the residences but you need to know your job from professorial to recreational. And finally to the students: If your safety is in danger, don’t be afraid to tell someone. Most of the R.A. and the directors do not see the things unnoticed. It will also help the directors find those students that are causing all the chaos in the residence halls.