Five Seniors and one alumnus submitted a [petition](http://www.scribd.com/doc/241370696/Room-Visiting-Policy-Petition?secret_password=cSBQcOpNEZ31BJmm8YPI) to the faculty and administration this week in opposition to new room visiting policies. Signed by 802 students, alumni and parents, the petition protests the policy changes approved by a faculty vote last spring.
The controversial changes included a requirement for upperclassmen to leave their doors ajar and lights on during room visits. The measure passed with 61 percent of faculty in favor and 26 percent in opposition, while 13 percent abstained.
The petition argues that the new policies will force students to seek other, less safe places to have sex, deter students from seeking faculty guidance and increase illegal parietals, among other issues.
Grace Tully ’15, Lily Grossbard ’15, Emma Kukielski ’15, Jaleel Williams ’15, Corinne Singer ’15 and Dan Wang ’14 co-authored the petition to ask the faculty to reconsider the decision. The petition was written on behalf of Feminism is Equality (F=E), a student group focused on raising awareness about sexism on campus, according to its website.
The petition gained momentum last spring on campus and across social media platforms as students rallied in reaction to the new rules.
“The impetus behind the petition came from the hundreds of students who took to social media to express their frustration, members of F=E and students who have expressed interest in the F=E movement,” said Singer.
The petition reads, “As students, alumni and parents [of students at Andover], we feel that these new room-visiting rules are not only counterproductive towards achieving the ideals of mutual trust and respect promoted by our community, but also a threat to the collective health of the student body.”
Williams said, “The goal of our petition is to show the faculty where the student body is coming from and show how much of the student body is united in opposition to this rule. It’s also to show how serious an issue these new rules are.”
The petition argues that, in the case of sexual assault, students may be less likely to confide in a faculty member out of fear of disciplinary repercussions.
Kukielski said, “If there is any instance of sexual assault between students in an illegal parietal or outside, they are going to be so much less likely to report it to a faculty member because they know they weren’t supposed to be doing it in the first place, so that’s one major concern.”
In addition, the petition points out that the rules run the risk of disconnecting students and faculty about issues relating to sexual activity. The petition reads, “These new rules, regardless of intent, discourage such candor [between students and faculty] by reinforcing the notion of sexual intimacy as something that makes all Andover faculty members inherently uncomfortable, which … establishes a deeply problematic framework within which the comfort of the faculty takes precedence over our sexual health.”
The petition also discusses the lack of room-visiting policies regarding homosexual and queer students.
Williams said, “The new changes to [the rules] have made absolutely no progress in including queer students on campus, and the heteronormativity and cisnormativity of the policies only further the “other-ing” isolation that queer students feel on campus.”
The co-authors hope that the petition will not only spark discussion, but also generate reflection from faculty about the new parietal rules.
“While we realistically understand that this petition will not be enough on its own for the faculty members to revoke the rules they have just voted on, we hope that this petition will serve as a springboard for an on-campus dialogue. In establishing a consensus, we hope to solidify and convey some of the issues students, faculty and parents have with the policies,” said Singer.
_A copy of the petition has been uploaded below: _
[Room Visiting Policy Petition](https://www.scribd.com/doc/241370696/Room-Visiting-Policy-Petition?secret_password=cSBQcOpNEZ31BJmm8YPI “View Room Visiting Policy Petition on Scribd”)
