“Lights Out” Rules Vary Among Dorms

Each weeknight, at the stroke of 11, Merrill prep Yoshiko Lynch makes sure she’s in bed as dorm faculty go door by door to make sure that she and the other Merrill lowerclassmen have turned out their lights. Across campus, in Wentworth Hall, prep Kofi Ansong roams freely in his friends’ rooms, or stays up until 1 a.m. to finish homework.According to the E-Book, the 11 p.m. encourages the “lights out” rule for lowerclassmen, but Dean of Residential Life Arthur Cosgrove said that, ideally, all students should try to aim for the 11 p.m. bedtime.“The assumption is that older students are mature enough to make good decisions and take care of themselves in a way that is healthy,” Cosgrove said. “Getting to bed at a time that allows you to get at least 8-9 hours of sleep is a big part of staying healthy as a teenager.”Cilley Hall Dorm Head Kenney Chan said that, although there is no set “lights out” rule for upperclassmen, his dorm faculty make an effort to ensure lowerclassmen are in bed by 11.“Every now and then, we do go up and check, but it’s a spot check basis; we don’t open every single door to make sure everyone’s sleeping,” Chan said. “But if we feel that "lights out" is an issue at Fac/Proc meetings, then we’ll actually go through room by room. But most of the time, it’s not an issue.”Merrill Hall takes "lights out" more seriously, with faculty checking room by room to make sure that all underclassmen are in their beds by 11, according to Merrill proctor Diane Lee. “Our dorm is strict about "lights out" because we care about the health of our underclassmen and want them to reap the best experience of their prep/lower year,” she said.Lee described "lights out" as her “saving grace” during her prep and lower years. “Knowing that I had a bedtime to adhere to forced me to manage my time efficiently and get my work done on time. I'm pretty sure I was a much happier person with all the sleep as well,” she said. “I don't think there were many times I needed to ask for late lights which just goes to show how effective "lights out" was on disciplining me.”But some underclassmen find it challenging to balance homework, clubs, sports, music and sleep. “I think that "lights out" enforcement is too harsh in Merrill,” Lynch said. “Because I have "lights out", I almost never finish homework. I notice that my friends from other dorms are able to finish their homework, since they don't have "lights out". Lowerclassmen in my dorm, however, have to go to bed at 11.”

"Dorm faculty and proctors emphasized that the "lights out" rule was made not for the mere purpose of adding another rule but because of the importance of sleep..."

Dorm faculty and proctors emphasized that the "lights out" rule was made not for the mere purpose of adding another rule but because of the importance of sleep in teenage years.“The purpose of "lights out" is the sleep portion. We know that students do better in class and in homework if they get eight hours of sleep,” Chan said. “Given Exonians’ schedules, it’s still better to get seven rather than six.”“After one or two years of living with "lights out", people know how to themselves and their sleep habits. As an upper or senior, it is more up to you to be self-regulating and this can be helpful for college life because when you leave PEA, you’ll feel prepared,” Chan said. “No one is going to tell you that your lights need to be out by 11, but Exonians go to college fully knowing how much sleep they need.”Some dorm faculty, rather than giving “7’s” to underclassmen who don’t comply with "lights out" rules, talk to students about the importance of sleep.“I do try to enforce the "lights out" rule as much as is needed, but on the other hand, I know that if I tell a kid to go to bed and then I walk away, he could just get back up and keep working,” Ewald Dorm Head Kevin Bartkovich said. “So rather than just telling the kids that they need to go to bed, I try to explain why it is beneficial for them to start heading to sleep. And of course, I always try to work with those kids that have a hard time going to bed on time.”Cosgrove said that despite the differences in how dorms enforce the "lights out" rule, all lowerclassmen are expected to be in bed by 11 p.m. “All dormitories should be quiet enough after 8 p.m. for everyone to study and it's fair to say that they should be quiet enough for anyone to sleep after 10:30 p.m.,” he said.