Dorms Adopt New Clothing Rules in Halls

Dormitories across campus have recently held conversations regarding the appropriate level of clothing deemed acceptable in shared spaces. Cilley Hall instituted a rule requiring students to wear shorts outside their personal dorm rooms, especially when students walk to the showers as opposed to allowing students to simply wrap a towel around their waist.  Other dorms, such as McConnell and Merrill, have held meetings addressing the amount of clothing that dorm faculty feel is appropriate when in common spaces.

Dean of Residential Life AJ Cosgrove said that rules requiring students to wear a certain amount of clothing in public spaces are in place to make those who use those spaces comfortable. “The idea is to be cognizant and respectful of everyone who lives and works in the dormitories,” he said.

Cilley Hall’s dorm head, physical education instructor Melissa Pacific, introduced Cilley’s new policy at a dorm meeting the first week of school, according to senior Charlie Dubiel. He said she referenced concerns that a student’s towel may slip, resulting in a faculty member seeing him  naked and being placed in a very awkward sitution, especially if the student is underage. She also explained the policy as a way to help students and faculty feel more comfortable while in the dorm or while inviting students from other dorms to visit.

“It makes sense, especially in all the drama that’s happening with all the boarding schools. It acts as an extra layer of protection to make sure nothing bad happens.”

Pacific declined to comment for the article, and other Cilley dorm faculty either referred to her or did not respond.

The new rules in Cilley were met with frustration as students complained they were strict and unnecessary. Upper Taylor Walshe called the new measure “extreme,” particularly in the case of the requirement to wear shorts when walking to the showers, which are located on each floor.

Senior Jiro Mizuno agreed with Walshe, citing the rule’s uncomfortability as its biggest setback.

“Going to the shower with [shorts] adds a whole new dynamic for going to the showers. It’s uncomfortable, it feels forced, it’s very clumsy to start stripping in the showers, hanging your gym shorts on the rack for towels, showering and wearing wet shorts that were sprayed by the showers back to my room,” he said.

Mizuno also felt that wearing shorts took part of the relaxation away from the shower process.

“[S]howers should be about being able to strip in the comfort of your room—wrapping a towel [around your waist] in anticipation of the hot water that will cleanse your body—walk into a showering stall and simply release your towel, enjoying the hot water,” he said. “Then you should be able to dry yourself and use the towel once more to quickly return to your room.”

Similarly, Dubiel described the new policy as an “unnecessary hassle,” regardless of the reasons for instituting the policy. “I rarely, if ever, encounter faculty in the hallways while going to shower. Even if we did often bump into faculty in the hallway, I believe that wearing shorts should be at each student’s discretion, as has been the case since my prep year,” he said.

Upper Pedro Sanson said that while transitioning into the new rule was difficult at the start, particularly for returning students, it has now been followed more since its implementation at the start of the school year.

While most students were opposed to the rule, lower Sam Michaels described the change as reasonable. He sees it as an established layer of protection to ensure that boundaries between students and faculty, and among fellow students, are not crossed. “It makes sense, especially in all the drama that’s happening with all the boarding schools. It acts as an extra layer of protection to make sure nothing bad happens,” he said.

Mizuno emphasized that while he understood faculty were trying to protect those who worked in the dorm, the rule still felt unnecessary. “Faculty may also feel disrespected, but Cilleyites hold their faculty in high regard, [as they are] always caring and working so much for us. [We] simply do not respect arbitrary rules,” he said.

Other dorms have been focusing their conversations on appropriate clothing in common rooms and commonly shared spaces in dorms.

History instructor and Merrill Hall dorm faculty member Hannah Lim acknowledged the boundary issues that may occur as a result of students wearing little or no clothing while moving about the dorm. While she personally has never had such an issue, she said, “I believe there would be concerns around appropriate boundaries.”

Some Exonians have been upset by rules requiring a certain amount of clothing to be worn by students in shared spaces, but many members of campus view such restrictions as a reasonable compromise. These students and faculty believe the current rules allow those who prefer to wear less clothing to be comfortable, while still being mindful of those who would feel uneasy seeing dorm members semi-naked or naked.

Computer science instructor Sean Campbell, who resides in Wentworth Hall, said that Wentworth’s more moderate rule seemed to strike a comfortable middle ground between those who feel uncomfortable around partial nudity and those who prefer to wear less clothing. In Wentworth, residents must wear shorts in common dorm spaces. “Overly restrictive rules would frustrate students comfortable with less clothing,” he said. “In the other direction, having very lax guidelines could alienate those from cultures where nudity in semi-public spaces is not commonplace.”

Senior Sarah Brown, a proctor in Langdell Hall, agreed with Campbell and also advocated for a compromise that would ensure dorms serve as a safe space for all residents. “I think people should be able to wear what they are comfortable in as long as the people around them are comfortable,” she said.

Campbell went on to acknowledge that while that rule may not please everyone, it appeared to appease most people in Wentworth. He emphasized that rules around appropriate clothing are intended to ensure courtesy in dorms.

“We try to advocate that the students have some situational awareness,” he said. “Put another way, ‘know your surroundings.’” It’s less about following a rule to the letter than it is about having respect for others in your community.”