To the Dean of Students Office:

We, the students, faculty, and alumni of Randolph College, respectfully request the continuation of Moore Hall as a quiet dorm, or a dormitory with extended quiet hours. Furthermore, we request that students of all years and all genders be allowed to choose rooms from at least one of the second through fourth floors of Moore.

According to http://www.randolphcollege.edu/x16306.xml, “Moore Hall is traditionally a quieter residence hall, enjoying extended quiet hours... Students enjoy...less activity in the hallways, allowing for a good study environment.” Moore, as it is now, is an ideal residence for those students who require a calm living space to study and sleep.

The administration has proposed that the solution to the lack of a quiet dorm is to allow each floor of each residence hall to agree upon quiet hours, as is the current policy for every dorm other than Moore. The potential problem with this policy is that, should one floor decide to start quiet hours at 8pm, and the floor below decide to start quiet hours at 10pm, the original floor may be forced to endure noise pollution while the students thereon are trying to study or sleep. In addition, should a student who wishes to live on a quiet floor end up living on the same floor as people who desire the freedom to make as much noise as they want, that student feels invalidated and unheard, and his or her schoolwork may suffer as a result of the distraction. By removing the option of living in a guaranteed quiet dorm, the administration is mistreating and disrespecting the students who wish (and sometimes need) to live in such an environment.

In addition, by making Moore an all first year dorm (save 5 rooms), the administration is hindering the natural occurrence of inter-class socialization and mentorship. By separating the first years from the rest of the student body, the administration will not “foster a community-building environment,” as is their apparent goal, but will instead create a class divide that has previously not been a part of Randolph student culture. On campus tours, one of the selling points often mentioned has been the strong interpersonal community developed among people of different genders, ages, and origins as a result of a fully integrated living environment.

We, the undersigned, request that Moore continue to have extended quiet hours, and that at least one floor of the upper three be reserved for students of all genders and all years.