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ASU Residential Life plans to hush up residents next semester with a new policy that bumps up the start of quiet hours to 9 p.m.
The policy will take effect in the spring semester and will start quiet hours earlier on Sunday through Thursday nights. Current quiet hours start at 10 p.m. or 11 p.m. on those nights, depending on the hall.
It was unclear whether weekend quiet hours, which start at 1 a.m. and end at 8 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, would also be changed.
"We're basically looking at it to enhance students' academic environment within the halls," said Cassandra Camille, assistant director of Residential Life.
Residents must follow quiet hours set by the Residential Life Handbook, and each hall has its own set of quiet hours.
During quiet hours, resident assistants can document students who are being too loud.
When a resident is documented, an RA writes down the context of the situation and then a hall director decides whether to punish the resident.
But some RAs disagree with the new policy set for next semester and are upset that they and their residents didn't get to offer input.
"I felt like they didn't ask RAs, and they didn't ask residents," said Best C RA Lindsey Grossman, a psychology and Spanish junior.
"It's going to be close to impossible for RAs to enforce this," she said.
Residential Life Administrative Assistant Ruth Kingsley estimated that 5,500 students live in residence and would be affected directly by the policy.
Philosophy freshman and Manzanita Hall resident Derek Blum said he thinks the new hours won't keep anyone quiet.
"It's silly because study rooms are quiet, and there's always the ability to go to the library to study," Blum said.
But kinesiology freshman and Irish Hall resident Kal Clark thinks he can use it to his advantage.
"It's less bad music I have to listen to," he said.
One RA, who wished to remain anonymous for fear of being fired, said the policy is detrimental to the social aspects of living in a residence hall.
"A lot of activities start at 9 p.m., and a lot of residents are just getting back from class," the RA said. "In a residence hall like Best C, there's no common space and no lounges.
"This is Residential Life's way of saying this is what you should be doing instead of encouraging students to make their own independent decisions," the RA added.
"They should have asked employees who live on the floor, and they didn't do that," the RA said. "We are more familiar with our residents' needs than they are."
Camille said ASU had done some research in the past regarding a change in quiet hours but didn't disclose details.
Camille added that Residential Life is working with students as far as making them aware of changes. She said the new policy would benefit students.
"It will give them the option of getting more studying done," she said.
Reach the reporter at sarah.muench@asu.edu.
