Loyola University • New Orleans • Volume 96 • Issue 5 • September 22, 2017
THE MAROON FOR A GREATER LOYOLA
A new year's policy, a new year of empty desks
SIDNEY HOLMES / The Maroon
The desk in Buddig Hall sits unstaffed at 4:30 p.m. on Sept. 18, 2017. Starting this school year, the desk assistants' shifts begin at 5 p.m. in Buddig, Carrollton and Cabra halls.
Changes in Residential Life policies have left most of the desks unstaffed during the daytime. By Sidney Holmes smholmes@my.loyno.edu @sidneymajee
What was once a 24-hour job for residential hall desk assistants has turned into a 12-hour one, leaving students confused and worried about safety in the residence halls. The desk at Biever Hall is still open 24 hours, but the desks in Budding, Carrollton and Cabra are now only open from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. daily. Prior to this semester, all of the desks were staffed 24 hours a day. Amy Boyle, director of Residential Life, said the changes came as a result of Loyola’s financial limitations, which made them reevaluate when and where the desk assistant presence was most necessary. “Evening time is more of a security reason, and daytime is more for service. When we made this change, we decided that Biever would serve as the service desk, and each desk would serve night time safety and service hours,” Boyle said. Another procedure that changed due to the loss of desk hours is the way that residents check in guests. In previous years, guests would have to check in and leave their IDs at the desk. Now, guests are checked into a computer system by the DAs. When there is no desk assistant during the day, the host student is responsible for ensuring their guest(s) follow residential hall pol-
DAs’ hours does not affect the safeicies. While Boyle is confident the ty of students. According to Boyle, changes won’t impact student safe- University Police presence has inty, some residents are feeling a little creased, so they do more rounds. She also reminded students to lock uneasy about them. “I wouldn’t say it’s scary, but it just their doors and to not let strangers makes me uncomfortable to know into the building. “We do not have safety concerns that anyone could walk in during the day,” Abigail Perez, Carrollton with desks being closed during the day. However, I want to remind stuDA and resident, said. Perez added that having a DA in dents that safety is a partnership bethe middle of the night does not tween our department, University Police and our students,” Boyle said. make sense. The number of DAs on staff has “It contradicts the purpose of a desk assistant. I’m sure more people gone down since last year. Accordwalk into the dorms from 5 a.m. to ing to the Residential Life office, there were 65 5 p.m. than at night, DAs last year. especially on the This year, weekdays,” Perez "I wouldn't say it's scary, there are 43. said. but it just makes me unThat deBut Boyle said crease didn’t that the choice of comfortable to know that come from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. anyone could walk in any cuts, staffing wasn’t just Boyle said, because of traffic during the day." but from stucoming in and out of — Abigail Perez dents quitthe dorms. Rather, ting. Boyle it was so that assis- Desk Assistant said being a tants can be there to DA is a difwelcome students in ficult job and one that is primarily the late hours. “We believe that nighttime and filled by work study students who early morning coverage at the front are paid minimum wage. “I think there are different levels are important for the student experience in that someone is present if of expectation about what a work and when a student returns to the study job could look like. This is a residence hall late night or early very high attentive and highly interactive position,” Boyle said. morning,” Boyle said. The high level of quitting, accordShe also said that the decrease in
ing to Boyle, is because the job is too much to handle for many work study students. Perez sees a different reason for the high drop rate, though. She said that many of her fellow DAs quit because of schedule conflicts. “I won’t say I was affected but other people definitely were. Other people can’t work as much because they planned their class schedules around working during the day. They didn’t say that the switch was happening until we were at school,” she said. Because of the change, desks are now often staffed by two assistants working at the same time, something else Perez said doesn’t make any sense. “Last year, we would never have two desk assistants working at the same time. It happens all of the time now,” she said. According to Boyle, it's during high traffic times that the desks are staffed by multiple people. In addition to DAs, new rules are also in place for resident assistants, who now are required to spend at least an hour at the desk during their shifts. In terms of why desk shifts start at 5 p.m., senior Biever resident assistant Aubrey Palhegyi said it’s because they are meant to serve as an extension of the Residential Life office, which is open to students from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.
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The move to staff RAs at the desk is because more staff is needed there at high traffic times, when the RAs are encouraged to sit at the desk, Palhegyi said. “It fluctuates every day, but I think one of the most high traffic times is between 9 and 10 a.m. because that’s when people go to class. There is also a lot of traffic at 5 p.m. for dinner and between 10 and 11 p.m. when people go out,” he said. He added that RAs are recommended to sit at the desk around 10 p.m., which Boyle said is necessary because the RAs help DAs and it creates bonds between the staff and students. According to Boyle, the role of the DA has not changed and that it is important to remember the safety of the building is not dependent on one student sitting behind a desk. “Their job to is to provide quality service to residents and guests of the building, confront policy violations and assist students in need. They are not the keeper of the building. We are all the keepers of the residence halls,” she said. Boyle is also aware that students are adjusting to this change, and she wants feedback. “Compliments and concerns can be directed to the community director of each residence hall. No one ever gives us compliments, but I know they have been satisfied,” Boyle said.