Althouse To Close on Weekends

Althouse, an academic building that previously had 24/7 key card access to the Dickinson community, will now close at 11 p.m. Monday through Friday and will not be accessible on the weekends as of Friday, Jan. 27.

The college notified Dickinsonians of this change in an email sent by Vice President and Dean of Student Life Joyce Bylander and Student Senate President Savanna Riley ’17.  The email cited disrespect from certain community members as the reason for the restricted hours.

“Sadly, last semester certain members of our community did not treat certain campus spaces with the respect that is expected in our community. These spaces were frequently littered with trash and furniture was scattered about the building,” the email reads.  “This general disrespect was displayed in spaces that we all use frequently and that serve as classrooms and offices for faculty and staff. Members of our community would arrive in the morning and have to clean up large quantities of trash and hunt for classroom and office furniture before they could begin their work day.”

Philip Morabito ’17, director of PR and Marketing of Student Senate, who was included in the decision to limit Althouse’s accessibility, stated, “It was a difficult decision to make, but a necessary one as the damage and disrespect that was seen in Althouse last semester disrupted the work day and function of the space.”  He continued: “We understand that not everyone is at fault, but as a community it is everyone’s responsibility to take care of our campus. We remain committed to advocating for the best interests of students in issues of space access.”

Several students have expressed disappointment in the restriction.  “I think it’s honestly really inconvenient!” stated Meridian Kenol ’19.  “I used to love spending long nights studying in Althouse, especially if I had an exam the next day or a group project, because of the ample boards and study spaces there.  Plus, it was a really comfortable setting with all the couches and computers available.  It was the best alternative with the library already closed.  I’m going to miss it!”

Stephanie Czmar ’19 adds, “I’m really disappointed that it was left in such a state that it needed to be closed down in the first place.  It’s really disrespectful to trash something and expect someone to clean it up for you.  It’s unfortunate that now that the safety of the student population is going to be affected by it; if we feel that we are in a dangerous situation we no longer have the option of seeking sanctuary in a locked building like that.”