Quad bathrooms remain unlocked

Despite the posted signs warning students that all Quadrangle bathrooms would be locked starting Monday, most of the dormitory's residents heading to the bathroom as of last night found their keys unnecessary. College house deans could offer few explanations as to why the new policy requiring Quad bathroom doors to be locked had not gone into effect. "I was informed to inform our residents by Housing and Maintenance that the office of student safety has ordered that the doors be locked," Spruce College House Dean Marilynne Diggs-Thompson said. "They're supposed to be locked, we were told they were to be locked.... I don't know why they're not locked." Ware College House Dean Katherine Lowe said that she had inquired about the situation with Facilities staffers, who told her they had been instructed to wait to lock the doors. According to the new policy, Quad bathrooms would be outfitted with new locks, which residents could open with their house keys. Though residents would have access to all bathrooms within their college house, outsiders would not. The bathroom locks -- intended as a safety precaution -- come after a security breach late last September when a man gained unauthorized access to the Quad, entered a student's room and allegedly attempted to sexually assault her. The new policy has drawn protest from many students, who claim the measures are unnecessary. Some students last night said they did not know why the doors remained unlocked -- but were pleased all the same. "I strongly would disagree with having the doors locked," College freshman Christopher Amos said. "It's just an inconvenience, especially when you're trying to take a shower, and you've got your hands full of other things." Though some students have begun petitions asking that the bathrooms be left unlocked, it is unclear as to whether or not student opinion played a role in the doors being left unlocked. "I'm not sure if they were giving students more time to get used to the idea," Diggs-Thompson said. As for safety, some residents said they were not feeling any less secure with their bathrooms left unlocked. "The door to the building isn't even locked, so I don't know why the bathrooms would be," Engineering freshman Alex Harris said.