Last Monday, the Department of Residence put into effect a door-locking policy that would protect the safety of the students. The unfortunate side effect, though, is it also will diminish the sense of community the dorms once had.

As of Jan. 27, exterior doors across all the major residence halls at Iowa State have been locked in order to prevent intruders and solicitors from entering the buildings without permission. Main doors will still remain unlocked, except between the hours of 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. This will allow students easy access during the day to hall desks and computer labs.

The main reason for the policy is due to ISU Police receiving several reports about unauthorized visitors in Friley Hall last spring. Intended for last fall, the policy was postponed so the Inter-Residence Hall Association could provide input.

While safety is important, in this case it does not outweigh the consequence it brings.

Residence halls help provide a sense of community to students, especially those just starting or transferring in. Residents do not just make friends with their roommates, they branch out to other floor members, building residents and even students in other dorm buildings. Locking the door 24 hours a day makes “branching out” almost impossible for students.

Despite creating an extra hassle for students, it would be unfair to not acknowledge that this policy is less restricting than that of other colleges. Randy Alexander, director of the DOR, told the Daily that he has “never worked on a campus where doors weren’t locked.”

Still, it is hard to imagine that locking the doors is going to deter a stranger or unauthorized individual from getting inside the dorms.

People can always just follow in a student or even prop doors open. Residence hall staff will be used to monitor such situations and handle students who do prop open doors, said Kate Bruns, communication specialist for the DOR.

Bruns also feels that if students are educated about the safety door-locking provides them then it may help prevent violations from occurring.

This will doubtfully be the case. Locking the doors creates a hassle for students trying to see their friends or attend study groups in other buildings. Students generally don’t appreciate extra hassles in their busy schedule and will most likely try to find the quickest way around them, even if it means violating the policy by propping open a door.

In the long run, locking the doors will simply result in a variety of violations and a lost sense of community. By locking the doors, the DOR is essentially locking out any chance for a community feeling among dorm residents.