Views on Vassar | Policy forbidding employee access to dorms misguided

Tendai Musakwa Opinions Editor

The word “community” is one that the College frequently uses: From this year’s All College Day theme, “Building Community at Vassar: What’s Next?” to e-mails from our president addressed to the elusive “College Community,” we have come to use the word almost ubiquitously. It is difficult to say, however, whether the staff, faculty and students at Vassar are truly the one equal and unified body that our use of “community” implies. In particular, the fact that employees (non-teaching staff and faculty) of the College require guest passes to enter dormitories is worrying and unacceptable.
Current college regulations prohibit employees from entering residential facilities during off-duty hours or for non-work related reasons, except for events open to the general public or with the use of guest passes. Dean of the College Judy Jackson stated that this policy is intended to promote safety for students and does not by design presume that employees who enter dormitories commit wrongdoing.

While this policy may be intended to promote safety, it nevertheless implies a mistrust of employees. This fact can be attested to by referring to Section 28.04 of College Regulations, which states that in addition to their regular Vassar identification cards employees must also provide guest passes and be accompanied by their hosts when visiting residential facilities. Having such a statement clearly implies that employees are somehow a security risk to students’ property. That students are permitted unrestricted access to each other’s residential halls and employees are not allowed the same access shows a gross discrepancy in the level of trust awarded students and employees. The recognition that workers are not bands of criminals out to steal from or harm innocent and helpless students would require that the College remove the provocative and highly discriminatory regulation requiring guest passes for workers to enter dormitories.

The policy also fosters an environment where employees are disjointed from students and can only develop professional relationships with them. Friendly relationships between students and employees do occur outside dormitories, but students’ living quarters are without doubt the place where students are most relaxed and thus feel free to socialize and engage in group activities. Employees should be free to visit students in this atmosphere in order to further promote the sense of community we seem to desperately seek at Vassar.

College employees contribute immensely to the community at Vassar outside of their capacity as employees. Many close relationships have developed between students and employees, and these could be further developed outside work places. Employees are also involved in various student-run organizations. These should be able to meet in residential halls without employees having to through the trouble of obtaining guest passes. Additionally, as members of the community, employees should be able to freely participate in recreational activities (most of which take place in residential halls) with their student friends.

One might justifiably raise the point that instances of student harassment by College employees have taken place. This, however, should not stop employees from being granted access to residence halls. Harassment also occurs between students themselves; if workers are equal members of the community as students are, they should be given the same treatment as not all employees harass students. Denying someone access to dorms does not stop harassment, as it can occur outside dormitories.

One might also question the significance of revoking the current policy, seeing as some employees already visit residence halls without guest passes or student accompaniment. The fact, however, is that those non-student members of the community who currently go into residence halls without passes do so against Vassar regulations, and they could face unspecified “disciplinary action” if caught. Having an employee lose or otherwise jeopardize their job simply because they were visiting a friend is ludicrous and untenable. The College needs to revoke its current policy in favor of one that is more conscious of the student-employee relations on campus.

“Community” is not a word we can coin at will to describe disparate groups of people. It is a state of being that we build up through interaction and shared activity. In order to truly build a community at Vassar, the College needs to allow free interaction between students and employees. The regulation requiring special permission for employees to access dormitories must be annulled.