This Thursday, Penn juniors will march down Locust Walk with their customary red t-shirts, hats and canes as part of the 102nd Hey Day — a “moving-up” celebration established at Penn in 1916.
But for the second consecutive year, juniors will be denied access to visit their freshman halls — a traditional part of Hey Day celebrations.
In an emailed statement sent earlier on Monday to residents of the college houses, Residential Services said only residents of the Quadrangle, New College House, Kings Court English College House and Rodin College House will be able to swipe into the dorms from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Hey Day.
These lowered occupancy rules were first enforced last year, when approximately 100 juniors were blocked from entering the Upper Quad gate, leading to a standoff between the students and Penn Police.
Juniors last year tried to get around the rule by having freshmen swipe them into the Quad as guests, but the emailed statement sent this morning said this will not be an option this year. College houses will not be issuing guest passes on Thursday, although all dorms except the Quad will allow one-time guest sign-ins.
These policies also affect where students will be able to eat this Thursday. Students who do not live at New College House, Kings Court English House or the Quad will not be able to eat at their dining halls without checking in at the dorm’s information center.
Ware College House Dean Amanda Atkinson said last year that juniors visiting their first year rooms at the Quad often “devolved into acts of vandalism.” Today’s statement also indicated that the rules are in place for safety reasons, and seek to “protect [residents’] privacy and space.”
Until Monday afternoon, the junior class had not been formally notified of the regulations.
Low occupancy rules were also enforced this past weekend during Spring Fling. Residential Services restricted access to all libraries and lounges in the Quad to residents only. In some buildings, entrance to several bathrooms were also barred from non-residents.
Students living in the Quad could only access the building from their own section, and guards sat at each door with a list of names and pictures of students allowed in that entry.
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