Well. Today at 3 pm est I and several of the other guy RA's are going to have a meeting with John David Bower, the assistant dean of students, over several of the new "more precise definitions" in this years residence life handbook. Among these is a new definition of public nudity. This definition states that public nudity includes anything outside of a dorm room or bathroom 24 hours a day 7 days a week. This means that hall commons are public. Many things that guy halls did out of comraderie and fellowship will now be against the rules of the school.
In addition to this new clarification, their will be no balls allowed in the hall of a dorm hall. Also the rule that "no outdoor sport can be played indoors" will be strictly enforced.
All of these new definitions, and maybe others that I have not even heard about (the new residence life manual has not been published yet), trouble me deeply. For all you that read this blog pray that the meeting this afternoon and the resolution of this conflict will go well, that tempers will not rise, and that nobody loses their job.
Posted by matt at August 27, 2003 1:42 PM | TrackBackGood luck, Matt.
Posted by: gosey at August 27, 2003 2:03 PMMatt: Regardless of what new rules the school commends to its students, I hope that they enjoy rational underpinning and don't signify an outbreak of legalism. For example, a "good reason" to forbid outdoor sports being played indoors is that the school's insurance carrier has decided such games bear such inherent risk that they won't insure against any injuries sustained by participants in such games. You'd have to respect something like that. A "bad reason" for such a rule might be: "these are the rules and students will obey them." If good reasons are advanced for any rules, it is easier on RAs to explain the reasons for the rules. Otherwise, it puts you in the middle--being asked to supervise behavior but without rationale. I must add, though, having been in management for a couple of decades, one of the hardest lessons I've had to learn is to announce and enforce rules and procedures for employees whom I manage when those rules have been developed by folks above my pay range and with which I disagree. Sometimes its part of being part of a fallen world: not everything will make sense to our satisfaction.
Posted by: sk at August 27, 2003 2:43 PMSomething Josiah told me before I started the job you now begin: "Every so often, the hall and the administration will be in direct opposition, and mediation won't work. It's a hard decision, but go with the hall." I did not much follow this advice. I now wish I had followed it more. But best wishes in hacking out your own path, babe.
Posted by: mesh at August 27, 2003 2:54 PMI'm praying for you Matt & I respect you a great deal, and I respect you even more for being willing to talk with Student Dev. about all this.
Like Mesh said, I do believe that its inevitable that your going to be placed in a position to enforce a rule that you believe will be harmful to the guys on the hall. I'd love to believe that the guys on the hall would forgive you for enforcing a rule you think is wrong, but I've yet to see that be the case. Go with the guys, they'll respect your commitment and loyalty to them, and it will help bridge the gap/divide that is inevitably placed between you and them since you got he RA position.
It's not black n' white.
Posted by: JosiahQ at August 27, 2003 5:32 PM