Door Policy Should Be Locked Up

Nestled in the Bible Belt, UNC is not a stranger to the ways of warm handshakes, "yes ma'ams" and polite door openings.

Unfortunately, the last practice is now in jeopardy.

On Thursday evening, a UNC student reported that he was robbed at gunpoint in his room in Avery Residence Hall.

According to the victim, the robber knocked on his door and asked for another resident, after which the victim directed the man across the hall.

A few minutes later, the robber entered again, this time without knocking, and held a gun in front of the victim. The robber then unplugged the phone, put a bag on the floor and instructed the victim to put his laptop, cell phone and gold chain into the bag.

The robber then instructed the victim to lie on the floor, and he exited the room.

The police have collected a number of details from the incident, but one point is unclear -- how the robber entered the building.

There is a quite probable explanation, however. For at UNC there is an unspoken rule of politeness of which most on-campus residents are aware: If someone is waiting to get inside a residence hall, you are kind and let them in.

This rule helps people avoid the nuisances of residence hall security, namely the Marlock key required to get in and the call boxes that people can use to call their friends inside the building.

But while this unspoken rule is rooted in Southern hospitality and kindness, it can have quite the opposite of the intended effect, as evidenced by the events of Thursday evening.

Christopher Payne, director of housing and residential education, said it is crucial that students take advantage of the physical security measures that his department has put in place and maintains. He said students can do that by not allowing anyone that they don't recognize into the building.

"It involves students asking people they don't know to wait outside and go to the call box or to go to the community office to contact their host," Payne said.

Payne said he understands if a student is not comfortable with confrontations. If the person does end up entering the building, the student should immediately notify the community office or a staff member that the person entered the residence hall, he said.

But Payne said it is ideal for the resident to not let the person enter in the first place. "Even though it may be inconvenient and perceived as rude, we'd rather have students take that approach than let people they don't know into the building," he said.

Payne is right when he says students who follow the recommended guidelines run the risk of being thought of as rude and inconsiderate.

When I lived in Cobb Residence Hall two years ago, I would be continually miffed when a girl would open a door and then let it slam behind her, knowing that I was just a few steps behind. I would then mentally flip her the bird as I struggled to find my Marlock.

But happenings such as the armed robbery are ones that shift the priorities of the campus community.

Residence halls, while they are campus buildings, are also students' homes, and residents have the right to feel safe and secure in their own rooms.

No matter how good-natured it might seem, the practice of students allowing people to tailgate behind them into residence halls is a dangerous move.

The key to stopping the practice, said Residence Hall Association President Joanna Jordan, is to make people more aware of the no-tailgating policy so people realize that residents are not being rude when they ask them to use the call box or the area office.

"It won't be perceived as rude if everyone understands that this is the policy," Jordan said.

It is not a guarantee that everyone will be understanding when a door slams shut in their face, but they should realize that it is a necessary evil to protect the students living in the residence hall.

For as far as Southern hospitality goes, I believe that most gentlemen and proper ladies would agree that putting your fellow man at risk is just not couth.

Karey Wutkowski can be reached at karey@email.unc.edu.