Residential Life announced that any external guests will not be permitted in the dorms until further notice to reduce COVID-19 transmission
8/30/21 by Mark Kotowicz
Residence Hall - Thiyasha Kodituwakku, Photo Intern
As Binghamton University students see a return to campus life, residence halls still face restrictions in an effort to curb COVID-19 transmission.
Effective Aug. 23, off-campus or external guests are barred from entering any residence halls, regardless of vaccination status. An email was sent to resident assistants (RA) on Aug. 20 disclosing the new restrictions as an effort to minimize transmission of the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus.
“As information about the Delta variant continues to evolve, we must remain vigilant to limit transmission of the coronavirus in our campus community,” the Residential Life email read.
“Ensuring the health and safety of our campus community is our highest priority, so our plans continue to evolve based on guidance from New York state and public health officials.”
Other residential policies have been reinstated this semester, including card access to other halls in the same community from 8 a.m. to 12 a.m. and the ability to bring guests from other residential communities on campus, both of which were restricted during the 2020-2021 academic year.
Along with the Residential Life policies, BU students are also still required to wear face masks indoors, including residence halls when students are not in their rooms.
John Brhel, communications manager for BU, said he understands certain students will be upset about the new mandates but the University believes the safety of residents is the biggest priority.
“[BU] understands that guests in the residence halls are an integral aspect of campus life,” Brhel wrote in an email. “However, [BU] required that all students living in the residential halls be vaccinated — the same could not be said for off-campus students. This policy further ensures the health and safety of our residential campus communities.”
While BU maintains the strict guest policies in the name of COVID-19 protection, some BU students have their reservations on the mandates.
Catherine Going, a senior majoring in psychology, believes the residence hall mandate is unnecessary due to the openness of campus life and the other COVID-19 policies already in place, including the indoor mask mandate.
“I think we got to the point where if you are seeing people outside of your dorm, it does not make a difference if they are inside your dorm as long as you are wearing a mask in the hallways and classrooms where you are interacting with people you would not otherwise,” Going said. “It makes sense with the masks but if you are already seeing people outside the dorm, you are going to be seeing them anyway. I do not get it.”
Chloe White, a senior majoring in psychology, cites possible mental health concerns if students are continued to be restricted from inviting friends over, especially if some have many off-campus friends.
“I feel not letting certain people into buildings is just hard on the students’ mental health because [students] would be stressed out about getting caught and not able to see their friends,” White said. “I understand the precautions they need to take, but though I do not know how I personally could have done better, I feel there could be better alternatives.”
The mandates are not set in stone, as the recent SUNY vaccination requirement after the FDA approval of the Pfizer vaccine might ease restrictions, according to Brhel.
“[BU] will continue to evaluate conditions and consider further changes to the visitation policy as the fall semester progresses,” Brhel wrote. “With the new SUNY vaccination mandate, [BU] will be reviewing our stance probably in early October.”
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