The changes implemented to door access at the start of the 2013 Spring Semester were made with the goal of fostering community within the West Ambler Johnston Residential College. While the intentions were clearly meant to have a positive impact on the community, it has become more of an inconvenience and burden, than anything else. The daily lives of the residents of West Ambler Johnston Hall are negatively impacted by these changes. Residents are no longer able to conveniently enter through any of the four wing entrances to the residence hall. For students at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech), time is precious. Being limited to only three entrances to the building prevents easy access to rooms located on the wings of the residence hall.

Members of the faculty and Resident Advisors (RA’s) have suggested that the changes would allow for students to meet new people by being forced to enter through the entrances near the atrium. However, the opposite is true. With the new changes in place, students are forced to enter near the atrium and walk through only one hallway in order to get to their room. Prior to these changes, students would often walk up the stairs and through multiple hallways, passing several neighbors and house members, in order to reach their rooms.

When the decision was made to close off access to the wing doors, the decision makers did not take the negative impact the changes would have on students who live on the wings of the residential community into full consideration. Students living in the following rooms are most severely impacted by these changes:

1102-1105, 1110-1121, 1525-1536, 1545-1548
2102-2105, 2110-2121, 2525-2536, 2545-2548
3102-3105, 3110-3121, 3525-3536, 3545-3548
4102-4105, 4110-4121, 4525-4536, 4545-4548
5102-5105, 5110-5121, 5525-5536, 5545-5548
6102-6105, 6110-6121, 6525-6536, 6545-6548
7102-7105, 7110-7121, 7525-7536, 7545-7548

Prior to the changes, residents would regularly enter through the wings, and walk through the hallways of the rooms listed above. The professional staff has suggested that redirecting all residents into the atrium upon entry increases the number of random interactions residents encounter. This redirection however limits traffic to the hallways listed above, almost completely secluding residents of those hallways from interaction in passing. In the Fall 2012 publication of “The Link: Connecting Virginia Tech Res Life Family,” Jamie Penven, Associate Director of Residence Life, wrote “Housing and Residence Life collaborates with a variety of faculty, academic administrators, and student affairs colleagues to help connect students’ intellectual and social lives” (Penven 2). Students’ social lives have been negatively impacted by these changes, by limiting opportunities to regularly interact with fellow residents with whom friendships were kindled during regular passing through hallways that are now less frequented due to the changes. The residents of West Ambler Johnston Hall should have been given an opportunity to express their opinions on the ideas that led to the implementation of locking these doors.

The “Virginia Tech Principles of Community” which were affirmed in March of 2005 by the board of visitors and signed by eight university organizations affirms “the right of each person to express thoughts and opinions freely” and encourages “open expression within a climate of civility, sensitivity, and mutual respect” (“Principles of Community”). The residents of the Residential College at West Ambler Johnston deserve the respect that is expected of them in both the “Virginia Tech Principles of Community” and the “Guiding Principles for Service.” The “Guiding Principles for Service” instill the expectation that members of the Virginia Tech community embrace the “Principles of Community” and insist, “…that every individual should be treated with dignity, courtesy, and kindness” (“About Student Affairs”). Common courtesy should have been extended to the residents of West AJ in regards to the decision making process of this drastic change to daily life at the Residential College. “The Guiding Principles for Service” also set an expectation of innovation through “creative and efficient ways to improve while balancing the needs of today and preserve the resources of tomorrow” (“About Student Affairs”). Locking the doors of the wings of the Residential College at West Ambler Johnston goes against the core value encouraging efficiency.

The recent changes also put students at risk in the case of an emergency or unsafe situation outside of the residence hall. In the Fall 2012 publication of “The Link: Connecting Virginia Tech Res Life Family” Dr. Eleanor Finger, Director of Residence Life at Virginia Tech wrote “The mission of HRL is to provide inclusive communities that engage students in exceptional living and learning experiences within safe, clean, and well-maintained environments that foster a sense of belonging” (Finger). As Dr. Finger points out, safety is a key element for all residence halls. In the case of an emergency, limiting the options for entry into the building becomes particularly dangerous.

The webpage titled “Residential College Environment” within the Residential College of West Ambler Johnston website states “Architecture and environment shape experience, and the residential colleges at Ambler Johnston were designed to foster co–curricular learning and community engagement.” Locking the doors of the wings from external use for residents counteracts the design of the building, thus limiting the chances for community engagement (“Residential College Environment”).

The “Curiosity, Engagement, Belonging” section within the Residential College at West Ambler Johnston Hall website notes that “The residential college will center around the shared values of: engagement within and outside the community” (“Curiosity, Engagement, Belonging”). Engagement within the community has become significantly more difficult with the locking of the doors on the wings of the residence hall.

The homepage of the Residential College at West Ambler Johnston Hall website promotes that “At Virginia Tech, education is more than just going to class; it’s about the experience. The time you spend with friends, classmates, and faculty will transform your college experience; all you need is the chance to make the connections.” Eliminating access to the wing doors limits the chances available to make the connections noted on the webpage. Residents still have the ability to collaborate with faculty, but the opportunities to engage with friends and classmates that they interacted with throughout the first semester have been limited by the changes implemented (“Why You Came To College”).

The coat of arms of the Residential College at West Ambler Johnston was thoughtfully designed to represent the fundamental components of the successful establishment and maintenance of a residential college. The most prominent symbols on the crest are the flaming torch with a vine wrapped around it. The four flames on the torch represent the motto “Know and Be Known.” The motto encourages residents of West AJ to integrate themselves into the community. It is difficult for residents to “Be Known” if they live in the hallways that have been cut off from the rest of the community (“Know and Be Known”). The amount of traffic in those hallways has drastically decreased with the changes put in place. The vine, “illustrates the strong and lasting friendships built among members of the college.” The friendships that were established in the first semester of the 2012-2013 academic year were in the beginning stages of growth. Cutting off external access to the wing hallways also cuts the vine meant to symbolize lasting friendships and nearly extinguishes the flames of the torch on the crest. Residents of West Ambler Johnston need to be granted access to the wing doors again, before the roots of the vine are cut, and the flame is put out leaving residents in the dark, without the light that “guides students through their undergraduate experience at Virginia Tech” (“Our Crest”).

Works Cited

"About Student Affairs." Division of Student Affairs. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2013. .

"Curiosity, Engagement, Belonging." Residential College at West Ambler Johnston Hall. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2013. .

Finger, Eleanor F. "Greetings from the Director." The Link: Connecting The Virginia Tech Res Life Family 2012: n. pag. PDF file.

"Know and Be Known." Residential College at West Ambler Johnston Hall. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2013. .

"Our Crest." Residential College at West Ambler Johnston Hall. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2013. .

Penven, Jamie. "Housing and Residence Life Academic Initiatives Update." The Link: Connecting The Virginia Tech Res Life Family 2012: 2. PDF file.

"The Residential College at West Ambler Johnston." Residential College at West Ambler Johnston Hall. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2013. .

"Residential College at West Ambler Johnston." Residential College at West Ambler Johnston Hall. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2013. .

"The Residential College Environment." Residential College at West Ambler Johnston Hall. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2013. .

"This Is Why You Came to College." Residential College at West Ambler Johnston Hall. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2013. .

"Virginia Tech Principles of Community." Virginia Tech Principles of Community. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2013. .

"Vision Statement." Residential College at West Ambler Johnston Hall. Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, n.d. Web. 27 Jan. 2013. .