Disturbing the peace

The dormitory room is the student's home for the academic year. Students should be able to use their rooms to study, relax, sleep and engage in any number of other activities that do not interfere with other students' ability to do the same. Indeed, the noise policy in "Rights, Rules and Responsibilities" recognizes that "every Princeton dormitory resident has the right to a reasonably quiet environment in which to study and to pursue his or her other interests." In most cases where the noise policy is violated, students may call Public Safety for assistance. Depending on the situation, Public Safety will ask the violators to reduce the noise level or put an end to the activities that were the cause of the excessive noise. There is one disturber of the peace, however, that cannot be stopped by a simple call to Public Safety: the University itself.

As the weather gets warmer, the University allows many groups to host large events outdoors — most recently the Manna Christian Fellowship concert featuring Shane and Shane, which students living around Dod Courtyard were not officially notified of until a few hours before the event. Another outdoor concert is scheduled for this spring's Dean's Date. These events are of great importance in bringing together the campus community. When they are also held in areas that are in close proximity to undergraduate dormitories, however, the excessive noise they generate can be unbearable for residents. Not every student will have the luxury of attending the Dean's Date concert this year. Some will have to study for finals scheduled for the next day — a task made more difficult if they reside in dormitories close to the concert.

With better planning, these events can go on without disrupting students in their dormitory rooms. Frist South Lawn, 1879 Lawn, McCosh Courtyard and Scudder Plaza are all central, open locations with road access that can serve as venues for outdoor events. In fact, many large events are regularly held in these locations including Fristfest, April Hosting barbecues, Dean's Date festivities and Souk. These locations are surrounded by academic facilities that are generally not in use during certain hours of the day, in contrast to the dormitories, which are 24-hour-a-day homes for students.

The University should be respectful of students' needs to have a quiet dormitory environment, including on Dean's Date. In the future, the University should take care to schedule large events in areas where they will cause the least disturbance in students' residential lives.