Written by Brian Gertler. Media by Tawnie Kozora.
As a CRE at Greenville, I am often asked about rules and regulations regarding anything from having pets in a room, to whether smoking weed is allowed if it’s legal in a student’s home state.
One of the most common complaints I’ve gotten from students is the confusing rules and times of open house hours. Before I lay out the official policies of the college according to the student handbook (which I assume all students have read and memorized by now), I want to mention a few assumptions and opinions that I have come to terms with as both an alumnus and staff member.
- GC wants all genders to mingle and develop relationships: acquaintances, roommates, friends, and intimate partners.
- The college understands that not everyone agrees that open house rules have the best expectations and philosophies for a healthy community. However, the college also understands that as an institution and Christian body, a list of expectations is required for a sense of order.
- Greenville IS NOT the most restrictive school when it comes to community policies. Compared to most private Christian colleges, GC is fairly lenient on open house policies (Google Pensacola Christian College Code of Conduct).
The B.A.V. (Brian’s Abridged Version) of the Student Handbook’s policies on open house hours:
- ALL RESIDENCE HALLS have at least three open house evenings on Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday nights (hours are typically posted on a bulletin board on the first floor near an entry way).
- Open house times only apply to visits by the opposite sex in the residence halls. Hours differ for certain lounges and entryways (ask an RC or CRE if times aren’t posted for these other areas).
Holtwick open dorm hours. Media by Tawnie Kozora.
- There are exceptions to these rules based on unique circumstances (family visiting, moving your belongings, conjoined twin of opposite sex, etc.).
- Intermediate and Upper Division housing has additional open house hours that are posted in entry ways (ask an RC or CRE if these times aren’t clearly posted).
- Upper division housing has special open house hours and privileges as approved by the Dean of Students.
- Doors must be kept completely open with occupants clearly visible.
- The rooms should have at least one light on (besides the TV).
- Couples should not be lying on top of one another, lying down next to one another on a bed or floor, be under the same blanket or covering, be engaged in physical activity.
- In traditional residence halls, a member of the Residence Hall staff monitors the Open House, handles emergencies, and closes the Open House at the designated time. Any resident, who does not wish to participate in Open House but wants to remain in the hall, must notify his/her RC and may choose to keep his/her room door closed.
- Residents of any floor, wing, or hall may elect not to participate in a given Open House by consensus or two-thirds majority vote. The decision should be made, and the in-house CRE notified, at least 24 hours before the Open House.
- Those who participate in Open House events are responsible for cleaning up public areas (lounges, kitchen, hallways, etc.).
- If a resident or guest fails to show proper consideration for others or behave inappropriately, he/she may be asked not to participate in future Open House events.
- If any floor, or house, votes by a two-thirds majority to hold visitation on additional days or nights, they may submit their request to the respective in-house CRE at least five working days before the desired dates. Events should end no later than 11:00 pm.
Ultimately, Greenville College wants its students to learn and experience new things as they meander through their higher education experience. To do this safely and appropriately, there are rules to give order to the chaos that is college life. They might seem tedious and dogmatic at times, but they are shaped by current and former members of the college community (as Dylan Deppe rightly points out in his initial article) and by the Wesleyan faith tradition Greenville College affiliates itself with.
If you have any questions or comments about open house times or any other policies that grinds your gears, feel free to contact myself, any other CRE, Ross Baker, or Patrick Miller. We would love to talk with you!
Nice list. Now it would probably be for the best if this list was made into a little pamphlet & each dorm had multiple copies on hand.
Also, I don’t remember saying Greenville WAS the most restrictive school in regards to open-dorm policies. I did say that the rules as well as lack of consistency between buildings were confusing & the lack of communication worsen the deal, though.
Hi Deppe,
As for the pamphlet idea, it would be a great and helpful tool to have on hand in certain situations. However, I don’t believe all students need to be given one of these when you have a student handbook readily available online. If you believe this will be beneficial, I suggest coming up with a sample pamphlet and taking it to Patrick Miller or Ross Baker. They can bounce some ideas back to you and it might go somewhere.
As for myself, I would prefer to not spend my work time creating rule pamphlets for the entire student body when the majority will lose them, throw them away, or forget all about them. Again, we have a student handbook available to all who are confused about the rules (this is just my opinion though).
Also, I wasn’t quoting or referencing you in this article until the very end.
The section you are referring to is in the section about MY opinions on the rules and regulations at Greenville as both an alumnus and employee.
Thanks,
Brian