Some of the bathroom doors in the various residence halls have been locked without any official explanation. Locked dorm bathrooms are currently a new policy for some residence halls at Seton Hill University (SHU), and other buildings are soon to follow.
�I hope students will feel more secure,� said Robin Anke, director of residence life. �I think students are comfortable in their living environment and are very relaxed about their safety.�
�I�m waiting for it to happen,� said Danielle Meyer, a sophomore.
By Kayla Sawyer,
Staff Writer
Some of the bathroom doors in the various residence halls have been locked without any official explanation. Locked dorm bathrooms are currently a new policy for some residence halls at Seton Hill University (SHU), and other buildings are soon to follow.
�I hope students will feel more secure,� said Robin Anke, director of residence life. �I think students are comfortable in their living environment and are very relaxed about their safety.�
�I�m waiting for it to happen,� said Danielle Meyer, a sophomore.
�It wouldn’tbe inconvenient. It would make us remember to carry our keys with us wherever we go,� Meyer said.
The policy is currently being implemented in all of Brownlee Hall and Havey Hall, and will begin for Canevin Hall and Lowe Hall in the summer.
�I understand that it might be necessary for bathroom doors to be locked in the freshmen dorms because they�re pretty crazy, but upperclassmen can handle it,� said Meyer.
With this new policy, students will only be able to access the bathrooms on their own floor. The exception is in Farrell Hall and DeChantal Hall, where students� rooms are equipped with their own private bathrooms.
According to Anke, there have been reports of women being attacked in their university bathrooms and the courts have recommended that colleges place locks on the bathroom doors.
�I don’twant students to be scared or worried that something has happened. I�d rather be more proactive in taking steps toward a safer environment, than reactive and implement this after something happens,� said Anke.
�It’s absolutely ridiculous and I can’tsee how it will solve any problems or help with safety,� said Joshua Underwood, a junior
The shower rooms in Canevin, Lowe, and Maura Hall are separate from their bathrooms and do not have a locking system. The doors are not equipped with them.
According to Anke, redoing the shower room doors and installing a locking system is an idea that is also in mind for the future.
�I see it as an added measure to make things safer,� said Anke.
�I hear reports of what happens at other colleges and try to learn from their mistakes,� Anke added.
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