RD takes Cal Baptist open hour ideas to the Towers

The Towers’ open hours policy has finally changed to allow open access to both dorms during the hours of 7 p.m. until 11 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  

Open hours have long been a source of annoyance for residents of the Towers—where traditionally only one weekday has been open to the other gender, contrasting the availability of Catalina and Balport.  

The possibility of changing open hours has been a topic of discussion for years, but past RAs never found it to be necessary. With the hiring of Huntington Hall resident director Viktor Akioyame, the conversation began again. As a former Cal Baptist RA, Akioyame found Vanguard’s open hour policy to be rather strict.  

After discussing changing the open hours as a staff, Residence Life decided to bring the conversation to the students.  

“About halfway through the year, SGA senator Joe Contreras, the freshman senator, came up to me and said ‘hey, our students want better open hours…’ So that re-sparked the conversation,” Akioyame said.  

Residence Life decided in late February to introduce the change after spring break.  

The reason for this timing as opposed to next semester was to benefit and better serve the students who would not live in the Towers next year, according to Akioyame.  

Reactions to the policy have been primarily positive, Akioyame said, but there have been some opposition as well. One issue with the change in policy seems to be how it occurred in the middle of the semester. 

“I think it’s great that they gave us more hours, but I don’t utilize them,” said Starla Delamarter, a resident of Laguna. “I feel like if that had been a policy first semester, I would’ve used it more. Second semester is just way too busy. I don’t have time for people.”  

But as Akioyame stated, the reactions to the change have been mostly positive among RAs and residents alike.  

“It’s fun!” seventh floor Laguna RA, Olivia Rosellini, said. “People are loving it.”  

Second floor Huntington RA, Josh Clark, agrees with Rosellini.  

“I think it’s good. I don’t see a problem with it, and I think the Towers has been wanting this for a while,” Clark said.  

Brannon Andrews, a former Huntington RA, is also impressed with the change. 

“I think it makes sense,” Andrews said. “Kids are maturing quicker and they’re understanding boundaries better…it’s fine to give them a little more.”  

As for whether or not the open hours policy will change any more in the future, Akioyame is hopeful, anticipating that it will be a need the residents of Towers will continue to have.  

“I think having open hours this way in freshmen and underclassmen dorms is probably necessary at some points during the year, times like midterms, finals, where students probably need to focus a bit more. And other points…it probably feels like ‘alright, I wish that open hours were a little bit more expansive,” said Akioyame. 

Ultimately, only time will tell if open hours changes more. Akioyame, for one, is all for it.  

“Hopefully that’s one thing we’ll discuss,” said Akioyame. “I feel like that’s probably a conversation we’re going to have as a staff again this upcoming summer…and see if it becomes something that works. If not, it will stay what it is now, but hopefully we can maybe see some change later.”