Cabin Fever, Early Check-In

For upperclassmen here at Deerfield, one of the many perks that comes along with seniority is the freedom to move about campus during the designated study hall period. From the hours between 7:45 to 9:45 p.m., students have an array of options for how they will occupy their “free” time. On school nights, you can find juniors and seniors practically anywhere on campus: studying at the library, grabbing a snack from the Greer, or making a trip to a friend’s dorm. This freedom differs tremendously from the typical nighttime routines of underclassmen, but recent events inside the upperclassmen dorms have brought back restrictions, creating this dreaded block of time.

“Dorm restrictions” have taken the campus by storm as winter angst has impacted the student body in many ways. Two upperclassmen dorms affected by these restrictions are Rosenwald-Shumway and DeNunzio. Incidents on select floors resulted in a temporary 7:45 curfew for its residents. Students in DeNunzio say unusual behavior regarding bathroom activity caused the restrictions. 

The junior and senior students of “Rosho” and “DeNunz” are not the only ones under this atypical spotlight. Additionally, underclassmen have been affected by these current dorm punishments. In the freshman girl’s dorm, Johnson, cacophony is bound to erupt. When noise levels reached a certain level, members of Johnson were put on a temporary “lockdown.” During this lockdown, affected Johnson residents were required to stay inside their bedrooms. They were not allowed to leave unless particular circumstances arose. Any attempted jailbreaks from the “lockdown” would have resulted in worsened consequences, so students remained put during their “time-out.” 

As continued “misbehaviors” happen inside the dorms, it raises the question: are these new restrictions and lockdowns the best way to elicit behavioral changes? In other words, how effective will these restrictions be? Is it reasonable to punish all hall members for select peoples’ behavior? When asked, certain students said they believe this method is unfair because it punished hall members who were not part of the problem incident. Although this sentiment is shared amongst students, are there other possible solutions for dealing with poor behavior inside dorms? 

Despite the inconveniences the dorm limitations have put on underclassmen and upperclassmen alike, is it possible that the members of affected halls have forged a closer bond with one another? After all, one of the critical components of happiness at Deerfield is building positive connections with one another. Dorm restrictions certainly give students something to bond over, but hopefully, the continued early check-ins will end with the Spring Term in the near future.