Pepperdine to Ease Rule on Co-ed Visits

In a move some students say is long overdue, Pepperdine University in Malibu has agreed to relax some of its policies governing visits between men and women in dormitories on campus.

The Churches of Christ-affiliated school, which prohibits dancing and alcohol on campus, requires students to get written approval from their roommates and the dormitory resident assistant if they want to visit with persons of the opposite sex in their rooms.

Students asked the administration to eliminate the requirement for advance permission and to extend the hours for the visits, permitting them from noon to midnight on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and during finals week.

Compromise Plan

University officials, citing the school’s responsibility to maintain a “high-quality moral climate” on campus, approved a compromise plan that extends the hours somewhat but retains the advance-permission requirement.

Visiting hours were set for 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays and during finals week. The old policy allowed visits from 3 to 7 p.m. and 7 to 11 p.m., with separate permits required for each four-hour period. The new policy requires only one permit a day.

Students said the obvious purpose of the rules is to prevent sexual activity in the dorms. The rules say that the door is to remain open, that the resident assistant can check at any time and that at least one roommate is to stay with the visiting couple.

Students said they respect the school’s concern for morals but want to be able to study and socialize with other students in their rooms as well as in the library or public lounges.

Rules Called ‘Childish’

“‘We’re all 18 and above here,” said Bill Clark, 20, chairman of the Student Opinion Committee, who called the university’s rules on the subject “childish.”

Students complained that the old rules put a damper on their social life.

“Dating here is really bad,” said Kelley Farley, 21, news editor of the college paper, The Graphic. Having to get advance permission to have a visitor “definitely puts a crimp on spontaneity,” she said.

A survey of about 325 students found wide support for the liberalization of visiting hours and the student senate voted to support extended hours, Clark said.

The administration approved the extended hours on a one-year trial basis, said Carl Mitchell, dean of student affairs. Written permits will still be required to make sure roommates have agreed to the visit and that their right to privacy is not violated, he said.