College trial reinstates 24-hour residence hall access for spring term

BY Emily Fagell

This article was originally published on March 28, 2023.

This spring, all undergraduate students living in campus housing can access all residence halls 24 hours a day using their Dartmouth IDs, according to Dartmouth Student Government president David Millman ’23. Previously, students could no longer access residence halls outside their own house community after midnight. Universal residence hall access will last until the end of the spring term, when the College will reevaluate the policy, according to Millman.

Residential Operations and Student Affairs began in the fall of 2022. Millman said he initially faced some “pushback” from administrators, who worried universal residence hall access could “unduly burden the custodial staff.” Administrators also claimed that previous DSG representatives had supported the restrictions — a notable point of contention after the 2019 decision, Millman said. Students responded generally positively to the change, noting that universal access could improve student safety and convenience.

FROM BALARA PAGE 1 of people from both his hometown and the College present at his memorial service.

“Josh was an exceptional teammate, and that was demonstrated by the number of teammates that few or drove to his wake and funeral services all over the country to honor him,” Clark said.

Holekamp family director of strength and conditioning Spencer Brown wrote that Josh supported his teammates this past fall during football season in the midst of his cancer battle.

“My favorite memory of Josh will be of him on the sidelines this past season,” Brown wrote. “He was always smiling. His teammates were always excited and happy to be around him.”

While fighting cancer, Brendan Balara said his brother’s “courage and maturity throughout the whole situation really [shined]through.”

“He never lost the qualities that made him him,” Brendan Balara said. “[He was a] kind, unselfsh warrior.”

On the day he died, Balara got blood on the front of the gown from a nosebleed, according to Brendan Balara. Their father joked that his son had to change into a clean shirt before the nurse arrived, since it looked like he had gotten into a fght.

Brendan Balara recalled how his brother replied: “You should have seen the other guy.”

After Balara’s cancer diagnosis — and before starting football pre-season camp in August 2022 — Ross Parrish ’24 and other players closest to Balara — including Schwitzgebel, McCorkle, Sani and others — shaved their heads in solidarity.

“I could tell it meant a lot to him, so it was good to show him our support,” Parrish said. “It was a cool moment of togetherness to show him that we’re here with [him], and [say], ‘We’re doing everything we can to support you, even though we can’t necessarily be with you right now.’ We just wanted to remind him that we were thinking of him.” always put it all out there. He was the perfect picture of what a good teammate is.”

Schwitzgebel said he frst met Balara on their ofcial visits to Dartmouth when they were seniors in high school, and as their friendship developed, their families grew close as well. Whenever their families traveled to Dartmouth to watch the team’s home games, they would eat breakfast at The 4 Aces Diner in West Lebanon together.

Former Dartmouth offensive lineman and current student coach James McCarthy ’23 experienced Balara’s kindness frst-hand at the Class of 1953 Commons, where Balara spent much of his time.

“He loved Foco, and he loved making sure nobody would sit alone,” McCarthy said. “It really didn’t matter who it was. He was very quiet, but he loved to talk to people and make you feel better, [and] make you feel like you had somebody there to listen. He just cared for everybody.”

McCarthy said the football team is currently deciding how to best honor Balara. To start, Balara’s jersey number, 76, will go unworn this upcoming football season, McCarthy said.

On March 22, a Mass of Christian Burial was held at St. Therese’s Church, followed by interment at St. Mary’s Cemetery, according to Balara’s obituary.

Unrestricted access was last permitted in 2019 but was curtailed by the College after a series of racial bias and vandalism incidents during the 2018-2019 school year, the email wrote. Students responded with sharp backlash to the initial restrictions, with more than 2,900 individuals — around two-thirds of the student body — signing a petition in opposition, according to past reporting by The Dartmouth.

Ultimately, administrators agreed to open up residence halls as a pilot program this spring, with its continuation contingent on students’ respect for living spaces.

“We are always looking for ways to connect and support our students and have worked closely with DSG in thinking about ways to do so,” Dean of the College Scott Brown wrote in an emailed statement. “We are hoping to see this pilot as a way to welcome students in other spaces, and that students hold each other accountable for respecting those spaces and the people who work and live in them.”

Daniel Lin ’23, an undergraduate advisor in McLaughlin Hall, said 24hour access — which he had prior to this term’s policy change due to his role as a UGA — has helped with “practical things” like taking shortcuts through buildings to avoid the cold during the winter or using the restroom. He added that he did not understand the College’s initial motivation to restrict residence hall access in 2019.

“Honestly, it didn’t make a lot of sense to me because if someone wanted to be racist, they could do that anywhere and they don’t really need … card access to do it,” Lin said.

Ben Barris ’25 said he agreed that universal access could help with day-today inconveniences, such as spending time with friends late at night.

“Last term, for instance, I would go out or whatever and then go to my friend’s dorm super late, 1 or 2 or 3 [a.m.],” Barris said. “It was very inconvenient, especially during the cold, to be like, ‘Yo, let me in.’”

Barris added that he does not think the policy will impact cleanliness in residence halls, noting that students already could access other buildings using a friend’s ID or by waiting for the door to open.

“He was one of my best buddies,” Schwitzgebel said. “From the greater aspect of the team, we’re losing easily the best teammate possible. He never complained, always showed up and