My first two years at Lakeland I spent living in Kruger Hall, the all girl’s dorm. I have wonderful memories of hanging out with the other women living there and occasionally men.

In the past, there were rules preventing men to stay in the hall past certain times. As of late, the rules were released, and now boys can stay overnight with roommate and RA permission.

Upon hearing this news, I rejoiced. Too many times have I had to sneak men in my room because we were short on money or time to reserve a room. And I don’t mean lovers; my visiting family members and friends who needed a place to stay were always welcome in my dorm.

Family members who are visiting need a place to stay; if only one person is staying the night, why rent out an entire room? The way I see it, you are renting the place and you have the freedom to let whoever stay whenever.

I believe men staying overnight is no issue as long as you have your roommate’s permission. We are all adults and can make the decision whether someone is fit to stay with us or not. People over the age of 18 of the opposite sex shouldn’t be stopped from spending time together by the college.

Whoever stays in your room is you and your roommate’s business alone. When roommates have issues with visitors, then it is time for the school to get involved.

If other women who live in the dorm hall have an issue, their rooms lock individually. If someone makes them feel incredibly uncomfortable, they can call security for assistance.

The issue with excluding visiting men is that they can rent out guest rooms in Kruger anyways. If someone truly wanted to break in and pillage the place, they could rent a room for the night.

When friends of the opposite gender want to hang out and watch movies or play board games, why can’t they do this in Kruger Hall? Is there an issue with having friends of opposite genders?

The current rules set in Kruger Hall are fair to everyone; men are allowed to visit as long as they have the roommate’s and RA’s permission, and visitors must be escorted by the person they are visiting to enter the dorm area.

By limiting women from inviting men over, the college is limiting the resident’s freedoms.