Visitation Policies at BC

Visitation policies at Bluefield College are a frequently discussed topic among students, who often express frustration about the rules. But according to BC administrators, the policies are in place to maintain safe and healthy boundaries for students.

Since Bluefield College is a private Christian college there is a need to hold students to a different standard than that of a public college. One way the college does this is through its visitation policies. Administrators say the school makes its visitation rules so that students can maintain grades and comfortable relationships with roommates. However, some students don’t like the rules because they believe they are too strict.

“They are too strict,” said BC student Haylee Duffy. “We are college students and deserve privacy and freedom.”

The visitation hours in Cruise Hall, East River Hall, and Rish Hall are between 6 p.m. and 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from 6 p.m. to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. The rules also say that the door to a room with visitors must be open at all times.

Director of Residence Life Jess Smith said she believes that BC’s rules are relaxed compared to other private Christian colleges. According to Smith, the visitation policies are good because there is never a fear of a roommate having an extra unwanted guest, and the students space becomes their private space.

“I am glad our school doesn’t have curfew like other schools in our category,” Smith said, “but having visitations does provide boundaries to help maintain grades and comfortable relationships between roommates.”

But students say the visitation policies make it difficult for people to hang out, and that if they don’t want to be in a public space there is no place to go. They say the campus and the community of Bluefield are not places where there is a lot of things to do, so the possibilities to hang out with friends are very limited, especially at the beginning of the year when the Student Activities Center was closed.

“I think the visitation rules are kind of dumb,” said student Elias Garcia. “I don’t see why there can’t be visitation during the day. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

There are obviously two views of the visitation policies: one is that it is difficult for students to hang out with friends because of the rules and the other is that the rules make the students’ rooms more of a private space where they can feel comfortable. Whether there will be a meeting of the minds remains to be seen.