Editorial: Empty nest

New guest policy in residence halls, while well intentioned, is too strict.

Effective this semester, Temple has changed its policies for students signing in guests to residence halls. But the new policies, which are evidently rooted with good intentions, could prove to be overly restrictive on students.

As John Moritz reports on Page 2, students can still sign in three guests between the hours of 8 a.m. and midnight, but can only have one guest in the overnight hours of midnight to 8 a.m. The previous policy allowed students to have three guests at all times, as long as the visitors were accompanied by the student-resident.

The university should explore other ways to prevent overcrowding in rooms. A cap on total guests staying overnight in one room, rather than per individual resident, may be one alternative.

Students’ lifestyles are far from an 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule; they work on group projects and study past what a university might deem as normal hours.

The new policy also states that anyone under the age of 18 not enrolled in the university cannot stay at a residence hall between the hours of midnight and 8 a.m., as a result of the university’s examination of the Freeh report.

The latter change could prohibit students’ younger siblings, friends and prospective freshmen from visiting for an extended stay.

Temple’s policy should not allow children under a certain age to access residence halls unless accompanied by a parent or guardian. But the university should also consider allowing guests between the ages of 16 and 18 to stay overnight if a parent or guardian checks them in.

The Temple News commends the university for treating the safety of minors on campus with seriousness. However, Temple needs to consider ways to guarantee minors’ safety, without infringing upon the freedoms of students, who pay a lofty price to live in the residence halls.

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Empty Nest

Even though it has been one of the coldest, snow-covered winters in recent memory, a blanket of green has enveloped Main campus. No, an unseasonable warm spell has not melted away the foot of snow

Even though it has been one of the coldest, snow-covered winters in recent memory, a blanket of green has enveloped Main campus.

No, an unseasonable warm spell has not melted away the foot of snow Mother Nature dumped on the region, revealing the lush lawn surrounding the Bell Tower.

Eagles’ midnight green has taken over Temple’s campus, replacing cherry and white as the predominant colors on North Broad Street.

Granted, the Eagles have had a tremendous season, captivating the hearts and minds of Philadelphia in the process, drawing thousands clad in licensed apparel to various pep rallies. However, this is a time when Temple pride should also be at a high. We have plenty to be proud of.

For the first time ever, our women’s basketball team is in the national rankings. The team is led by Philadelphia-native Dawn Staley. Yet the Liacouras Center is virtually empty night after night.

Coach John Chaney won his 700th game as a coach last season and his win total continues to rise. Yet the Liacouras Center is virtually empty night after night.

Baseball coach Skip Wilson recently became one of a select few who has amassed 1,000 Division 1 wins, but crowds at Temple Field rarely draw more than player’s parents.

Temple athletes gave gold-medal winning performances in this year’s summer Olympics, yet nary a word was said in the local media of their accomplishments.

Our club sports also have won numerous championships over the past decade.

Temple’s Health Sciences Center produces tomorrow’s doctors, dentists and nurses. These are people who will save lives, and not just score touchdowns.

The Fox School of Business was recently ranked by The Financial Times as No. 1 for “value for money” and as one of the top 50 MBA programs in the world.

For a city so hell-bent on something to look up to, perhaps it’s time for our students to look at what’s right in front of them: a school to be proud of, with a tradition to back it up.

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