Noise in the Dorms

Question: I read somewhere online that the people who oversee the Barnard dorms are strict and that they don't allow more than three people to be in a room at the same time. I also heard that the women in the dorms frequently report "noise complaints" for the smallest things like singing. Is this true? I'm not one for partying, but I at least want to be able to hang out with my friends without getting in trouble.

Answer: You can definitely hang out with your friends in the dorms without getting into trouble! Let's debunk this myth ... you can sign a maximum of 3 guests into your dorm individually, but if 5 or 6 of your fellow Barnard students wanted to study or hang out in your room, that's fine! Nobody will be coming around policing how many people are in the rooms at any given time. In terms of noise, quiet hours in the Quad usually go from 1am - 8 or 9am. During finals season, quiet hours are 24 hours, when it's expected everyone will keep the noise down so their neighbors can sleep and study. I love to make music with my friends, so I'll sing and play guitar in my room or in the hall; the only times I've had noise complaints were during the residence hall's quiet hours. Other than that, I think noise and fun are dealt with very reasonably within the residence halls. 

- Aydan Shahd '20 

Answer: I'd like to add that the people who "patrol" Barnard's dorms are the student RA's. As long as you're courteous to your neighbors, you probably won't run into any problems. As someone who has a friend who likes to sing (very loudly) to Disney soundtracks, I'll say we've never gotten reprimanded for making a lot of noise (even if maybe we should have!). If anything, your neighbor will probably just knock on your door and ask you to be a little quieter before it even goes to the RA or anyone else affiliated with Res Life.

- Cassandra Clifford '21

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