Becoming a college freshman is one of the most exciting times in a young adult’s life. Normally students arrive to campus with their families and personal reminders of home. Finally, students get to break free of their parent’s curfews and household rules. Freedom smells and tastes so good. Parents shed tears of joy and classes start soon after they say goodbye. There are so many places to go and new school rules to learn in the freshman year. Aside from having to learn where all of the different buildings and offices are located, freshman students must get adjusted to life in the dorms. Why? Why are all freshman students required to live in the dorms? This is quite bothersome as there seems to be no legitimate explanation. Even after considering the university’s point of view, there are three reasons that freshman student should be allowed to live off of the campus. First, freshmen students are legally viewed as adults and should be treated the same. Secondly, several distractions and privacy issues can be eliminated. Lastly, numerous rules and safety issues represent the biggest concern.
Imagine if a freshman were to steal from the bookstore or hurt someone in a physical altercation, campus police would arrive and charges would be filed. The judge would view that student as an adult. Freshman can get a job, airline tickets and a passport without the signature of a parent. There should be no need to confine an adult student’s living arrangements to dormitories against their wishes. If a student is mature enough to move out of their parent’s home (to pursue a higher education), then automatically they should be allowed to select their own living quarters. There are very nice apartments near the school in the surrounding area. The rates are reasonable and students can find roommates if they don’t want a one-bedroom unit.
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It is difficult to sleep some nights when fraternity boys are howling outside the window. Sometimes the marching band is practicing while students are studying in the dorms. Even if the campus is nice and quiet, students sometimes run in the halls, or make noise in adjacent rooms. Just because a dorm is not co-ed doesn’t mean guys and gals abandon their romantic plans. The distractions are equally annoying as they are frequent. These issues could be eliminated by grabbing a cozy little apartment away from campus. Even if a freshman is strong enough to overcome the distractions, the temptations follow like a creepy shadow. The campus parties are just fifty steps away if a person lives in the dorm. On the other hand, an apartment would be further away and the daunting task of driving or catching a ride might be a healthy deterrent at times. However if homework is done and grades are high, a nice party would be delightful. It is more comfortable to get dressed in the privacy of an apartment than using a bathroom shared by several other people. Privacy is yet another problem. How many times have people in dorms touched things that don’t belong to them? It is an epidemic. Phone conversations and personal mail can be violated at any time and no one puts a stop to it.
After finally climbing out from under the rules of mom and dad, here comes the rule booklet given by the dorm directors. There are no cooking appliances allowed in the dorms. There is a curfew and violating it results in stiff consequences. Boys and girls cannot visit one another’s rooms after a certain time. They have to meet in the open lobby during certain hours. Freshmen have to eat in the cafeteria at certain times or they will have to buy food somewhere else. Someone even mentioned one school that doesn’t allow freshmen to have a car parked on campus. There are no pets allowed in the dorms. This is all insane! Having an apartment means that if a freshman wants to come home to a loving, purring cat or a wiggly, ticklish dog each day then they have that right. No one gets to decide when they eat and when they can fix up a great home cooked meal. Most dorms have a decent kitchen on the first floor but it does not bring the same joy as cooking a juicy steak in a private apartment. Even if the rules are tolerable, the safety issue would make anyone want to leave the dorms. There are so many rapes on campus. Girls are advised to walk in groups. Some universities suppress the news and fail to seek justice for female victims because all they care about is their reputation and profits. In an off-campus apartment, there are likely to be surveillance cameras and the front door is just a few feet away from a parking spot. It is true that sexual violence can happen anywhere. However, when it happens on campus, there is a stronger chance that no one will believe the woman than if it were to happen somewhere else. Fraternities and sororities indulge in hazing and taunting. Freshman should have every right to avoid prolonged exposure to such damaging behaviors.
After appealing to her school’s president, one student was told that maintaining the freshman in campus dorms is purely for their best interest. They would only have to worry about walking to and from classes instead of driving in traffic. The cafeteria is close and they would not have to worry about financing three meals each day in addition to all of the other things they will need to buy. On the surface, that seems sincere and understandable. However, some freshmen are simply uncomfortable with that requirement. It needs to be taken into consideration on an individual basis. For example, what if Johnny has an uncle who lives just 10 minute away from school and offered Johnny the downstairs apartment of his townhome? What if a freshman student has a medical need for a companion animal and there is an apartment complex that can accommodate him? People have different needs and circumstances. Students either pay out or borrow a lot of money for an educational experience. Where a person lives should not be decided by the school. \
In conclusion, there are several reasons for lifting the old-fashioned rule that first year students must live on the school grounds. They are not children anymore and subjecting them to the distractions of campus-life is counter-productive. Freshmen come from all over the world with different backgrounds and beliefs. They should not be squeezed into the same box of rules.
