Laura Hunter
Reporter

University officials do not believe the privacy of South Hall contributes to drug and alcohol use

By Laura Hunter

South Hall is considered one of the most popular residence halls on campus. Students can cook for themselves instead of going to the UC, they get their own bedrooms and there is more privacy.

But does the added privacy in South Hall cause problems with increased drug and alcohol use on campus? Many officials on campus say no.

South Hall is a residence hall unlike any other on PLU’s campus. Students can live in a studio, one-bedroom, two-bedroom, four-bedroom or five-bedroom apartment-style atmosphere.

Each apartment includes a kitchen, living room and at least one bathroom. The conduct policy in the hall is the same as in any other hall on campus — no alcohol or drugs allowed.

Walt Huston, director of Campus Safety and Information, said, “There has been a slight increase in alcohol related incidents, but it is an across the campus type of thing, not specifically limited to South Hall. Drug incidents have remained pretty steady.”

Laura Majovski, vice president of Student Life and dean of students, said, “From Sept. 1 to Dec. 31, 2002, South Hall had seven violations total in all categories. This ranks it among the lowest number of incidents by hall.”

While there are not many reported violations in South Hall, university officials recognize that there could be more infractions occurring. Because of the private nature of South Hall, it can be difficult for the three community assistants in the building to know about other situations.

Unlike the other residence halls that have at least one resident assistant per wing, South Hall has only three community assistants in the entire building. One community assistant lives on the first, second and third floor.

In addition to enforcing policy, attending to resident needs and creating programs, each community assistant is in charge of several other responsibilities. Kendall Looney manages the front desk workers, Nicole Uken is in charge of activity planning and Audrey Pinning produces the hall newsletter “The South Hall Scribe.”

Stephanie Serventi, resident director of Harstad and South Halls, said that the most difficult challenge is that it is difficult to establish relationships with residents, since there are only three community assistants this year and many residents keep their door closed.

This also makes it difficult for the community assistants to help keep the residents safe. If a resident were severely intoxicated or suffering from alcohol poisoning, he or she could be in the bathroom or in the bedroom several doors removed from the hallway, making it hard for anyone to know, unless the resident had a roommate.

Serventi said she helps to educate the community assistants about the campus policies and about responsible behavior so that they can have the tools they need to enforce policy and educate the residents.

Tom Huelsbeck, director of Residential Life, said the goal of the community assistants is not to seek out violations, but to enforce them if they see them.

He said the dry campus policy has been maintained across the entire campus because there are still a large number of minors living in South Hall. The minimum age for living in South Hall is 20.

“I don’t want them (the community assistants) to have to memorize birthdates; I don’t want them to be bouncers, you know, with ID card checks,” Huelsbeck said.

He said that before South Hall was built, Kreidler was a hall for students 21 years and older and senior status. At that time the question was raised whether to exclude Kreidler from the policy, but the rule remained across the board with the exception of the wine used during communion and the President’s house.

Huelsbeck said the biggest concern is with the inexperienced drinker. This could be a freshman that feels the need to drink as a right of passage. In South Hall, it is assumed that residents are more casual drinkers and will be more responsible.

He said that if risky behavior is going to happen, it is hard to help keep that person safe. He said he hopes that residents can keep each other responsible.

“PLU is a pretty special place,” he said. The number one concern is the well-being of the students. He said students should not be afraid to talk to someone about a problem because it is more important to keep the person safe than to file a report.

However, if a resident is caught drinking or using drugs in South Hall, the resident could lose his or her privilege to live in South Hall, could be suspended or expelled.

Also, students with a previous conduct history will not qualify to live in South Hall.

University officials agree that the benefits of South Hall outweigh the challenges. Serventi said that the atmosphere in South Hall allows students to make the smooth transition from living in a traditional residence hall to the real world. She said it is a different opportunity for the students to grow.

Huston said, “I think that South Hall residents have earned the right to be less dependent on oversight and more self determining.”