Simpson encourages students to adopt their residence halls astheir new homes. In fact, moving out to gain independence andprepare for the real world are two important functions of thecollege experience. But a home is also secure, and Simpson’sresidence halls are not.

An increased opportunity for sexual assaults on campus is themost serious concern when it comes to all-access halls.

In 2003, there were three forcible sexual assaults on campus,according to Simpson’s annual crime report. One occurred in aresidence hall. Two occurred off campus, which is defined in thesecurity report as “off campus properties owned or controlled bySimpson or by recognized student organizations (e.g. rentalproperties, Ankeny and West Des Moines facilities, Greek houses).”It is logical to assume that at least the opportunity for – andpossibly the frequency of – sexual assaults on campus is greatlyincreased by giving men and women carte blanche access to allresidence halls.

Second to serious danger, students’ comfort and privacy arebeing pushed to the wayside.

College students are not one big happy family. Some truly do notlike each other, and now they have access to each others’ halls.With more traffic and possibly unpleasant surprises roaming theresidence halls, students must be more security-conscious.

All-access residence halls seem like a logical step toward coedliving, but Barker and Kresge Halls are still considered male andfemale. A woman leaving the bathroom in Kresge after her shower nowhas to ask herself who may be between the bathroom and her ownroom, especially now that men may be in Kresge at 10 a.m. Mondaythrough Thursday.

To promote campus unity and protect the safety and privacy ofits students, Simpson should follow the example of Drake Universityin Des Moines. At Drake, residence halls are all-access, butvisitors must sign in and leave an identification card at a desk ineach hall before getting near any student living quarters.

However, it is unlikely that Simpson has the manpower or thetime to follow through with such an intensive program. Thus,students should only have access to their halls. If students wantto get in to another hall, they should have a friend that can letthem in.