<p>Early '70s in large, liberal public U- some dorms went coed by floor my sophomore year. "Visitation" rules as I recall were no one of the opposite sex from 2 am to 9 am. What are "parietal hours"? I thought curfews went out with my mother's generation.</p>
<p>The concept of a curfew seems to run contrary to what college is supposed to be. In college, one is independent and learns to structure their own time and make choices. I cannot imagine a curfew in college. Like AlwaysAMom, my kids never had a curfew in high school. In college, many prefer not to study in the dorm but at the library and do so past 11:30 PM. Many spend hours in the art studio late. I have a kid who has required rehearsals that can go as late at 11:30. For one of my kids, her social life did not revolve around the dorm. I just don't see the point of this rule at all. Instead, they could hold workshops about time management (if the college feels they need to help students to transition to college life). The RAs could organize team building among the residents and social events (if that is the objective). And what do they accomplish with one month of curfew? And so, what's up after that? It seems to me that anyone going to college is going to have to adjust to being in charge of themselves. Does that need to be put off for a month? I mean this sounds like bedtimes in college, just when kids are breaking free from supervision. This is unusual for a college to do. I also have not heard of academic credit to be a TA. I have heard of reduced housing fees to be an RA. Also, RAs tend to be juniors and seniors, not kids one year older than the freshmen.</p>
<p>CGM, you make a good point in that this would encourage one to socialize and then come home to do homework at 11:30, rather than what many kids do which is to get their work done and socialize later at night.</p>
<p>University of Notre Dame still has parietal hours. Their applicant pool is doing just fine.</p>
<p>This has the potential to lead to a massive party/bad choices on the night that students are finally able to stay out as late as they want. Instead of preventing problems, it likely merely delays them.</p>
<p>it leads to the RA's being spies and tattle tales, and such, and who would want to go to an RA with an issue if the RA needs to rat you out if you break curfew?</p>
<p>at some point in these adults lives they need to start setting their OWN curfews, and guidelines and such, and not count on others to set their rules for them</p>
<p>This rule reminds me of my kids' camps but that was when they were much younger and when the camp takes over for the parental roles and responsibilities. In college, it is time to take away that level of supervision. College is supposed to be the transition to independence and adulthood, not more of high school with surrogate parents in place.</p>
<p>Well, I went to a summer program of mostly rising seniors and we had an 11 pm "in room" curfew...let me tell you- it was REALLY REALLY annoying and most of the time people found creative ways around it. Definitely limited the time we all had together...it made sense as it was hs students, but I don't see this as good for college students at all.</p>
<p>I will bet the incidents relating over drinking have been somewhat curbed by having that curfew for a few weeks - since that is one of the most difficult times for students - and does tend to be the same period that some major major drinking takes place.</p>
<p>For some reason I remember last year - that I heard several stories about the incredible amount of alcohol consumed the first week of school at many schools has created new rules regarding what is allowed and what is not allowed for the first week or 2 or 3 or 4 in this case.</p>
<p>I can see a benefit of it tho - since is is short lived - get student more tuned into the school - their studies - and adjusting.</p>
<p>OO and the RA thing - it is their job - is probably in their job description that the have to do certain things - so not dumping on the RA at all - they usually do have to do certain things in order to earn their keep - some schools only give room for RA's - others room and board - others they are paid - but what ever - it is still their job to do.</p>
<p>That's an absolutely horrible, atrocious idea in every way. Full stop.</p>
<p>There is no upside whatsoever to requiring students to be in their rooms at 11:30, since most won't go to sleep and many will get little done (maybe you weren't aware, but most students end up studying in the library, because it's less distracting), and lots of downside, in terms of activities that they cannot participate in, lost socializing (believe it or not, most college students go to sleep late, and they socialize at the end of the night), and lost opportunity to go work in the library etc.</p>
<p>I would never ever support something like that, and wouldn't go to a college that had a curfew like that.</p>
<p>There is also an additional downside in that it creates a somewhat adversarial, warden-like role for the RA, which is inappropriate in light of the more important counseling and support roles the RA needs to play.</p>
<p>I think this is really inconsiderate of the school in instances where roommates have incompatible schedules.</p>
<p>Some people have 8 AM classes or have to go to sports practices or ROTC drill starting even earlier. These people want to go to bed early. Other people don't have classes until late morning, and they want to go to bed late. A common solution when an early-schedule person room with a late-schedule person is for the one with the later schedule to go to a dorm lounge to socialize or study after the other roommate goes to sleep. But this doesn't seem to be permitted at this college.</p>
<p>I can see the benefits of having a curfew for a bit - not that I agree with it.</p>
<p>I would sure like to see statistics regarding the 1st week or so of school - regarding alcohol related things/warnings/arrests/ER trips, etc... - and see the relationship between having a curfew that decreases those incidents - or not.</p>
<p>Isn't Gannon in Erie? Erie has a curfew so perhaps they take a cue from the neighborhood.</p>
<p>Whoaaaaaa! The city of Erie has a curfew? O.K., this I have to check out.
Are perietal rules restrictions on when the opposite sex can be on a floor? If so, many schools still have these rules, but I admit that many of the schools we've visited are religiously affiliated. According to our tour guide, as soon as attendance is taken, many of the guys leave the room and congregate somewhere in the dorm to play poker. My biggest concern would be how quiet the dorms would be after 11:30. </p>
<p>I'd love to see the figures on drinking/ambulance calls in the fall, too. A neighbor was at Northwestern first semester of this year and she actually just transferred to another school. She said four kids were taken away from her dorm in ambulances this year. Even though she got a 4.0 GPA, her take on it was that stress at the school lead to binge drinking. I'm not saying that a curfew will eliminate binge drinking. It may just delay it.</p>
<p>O.K. I checked out the curfew and it's for those under 18 years of age. Our community has those rules, too. Most college freshman are 18 or older.</p>
<p>I've taught at NU. No more stressful than anywhere else, controlling for major. </p>
<p>My take is that if kids are in fact binging more at the NUs of the world than lower tier colleges (which I question may be unlikely), then the reason is not a difference in stress. The reason would be that kids now getting into such schools have had to work way too hard in HS, at the expense of relaxation, hanging out, socializing without a purpose. Once over the college-admittance hurdle, and finally no longer under their helicopter parents' blades, they are making up for it and/or do not know how to do things in half measure. </p>
<p>But mine is only an unsubstantiated hunch that is open to debate.</p>
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Now -- the kids seem to think single sex dorms are wierd. They probably have no clue what parietals are!
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<p>Yeah, I think they're weird, even though we had one. It had lots of people whose parents wouldn't let them live anywhere else.</p>
<p>What are parietals? :D</p>
<p>I think the curfew idea is ridiculous. I'm sure you could have guessed that if you're at all familiar with my postings on student life issues. :)</p>
<p>
O.K. I checked out the curfew and it's for those under 18 years of age. Our community has those rules, too. Most college freshman are 18 or older.
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<p>I don't see why this makes it any better. I was 17 for the first 4 months of college; I would have been incensed to have additional rules regarding where I could and could not be, simply because of my age.</p>
<p>If the college doesn't think students under 18 are mature enough to handle their own lives at the college, they shouldn't be admitting them into the dorms, in my opinion.</p>
<p>interesting idea- my D has a friend who was 17 when she went to college and legally, her parents had to sign certain forms until she turned 18</p>
<p>If they're not all in by 11:30, how are they going to have group sex? :rolleyes:</p>