College Prowler Take
When you get into Barnard, one of the first things you will start to read are all the rules. You will probably worry that you might get in trouble at school for doing something, and your parents will be so pleased to see that the college takes such a strong disciplinary stance. However, the moment you step on campus, all of those rules will go out the window. In fact, the only rule that is enforced at all by the school is that you must show ID before entering a college residence, and even this is oftentimes bent. It’s not because Barnard doesn’t care about you, but because it has better things to worry about. Strangely, more rules are enforced by other students than by the college. If you smoke in residential buildings, for example, you can expect that someone will complain about the smell.
Kind of like how the security at Barnard is just there for looks, so are the rules they are supposed to enforce. There are also tons of things that you aren’t supposed to bring into the dorms, such as alcohol and anything with an open flame, including candles, but don’t expect the desk attendant to say anything to you about whatever you might bring to your room. The desk attendants are a little bit stricter in the freshman dorms, but even they aren’t too concerned with what students do in their rooms just as long as it’s not hurting or bothering anyone. Out of respect, students usually “hide” contraband, but there’s not really any need to.
Students Speak Out
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BarSG says: Barnard College 2015 Social Sciences  |
It's sort of strict. Columbia has...
It's sort of strict. Columbia has a "war on fun," so big ragers have sort of died down, though it's not hard to do what you want.
Campus Strictness: February 23, 2009
Report |
Anonymous says:  |
Barnard says that they don’t allow...
Barnard says that they don’t allow a lot of things, but you can expect to be warned that your RA will check your room for contraband at least three days ahead of time and it will only happen once a semester. It seems like the rules are really just there for show. |
Anonymous says:  |
Barnard has some pretty strict...
Barnard has some pretty strict policies but some very lenient enforcement. |
Anonymous says:  |
I sometimes forget that drinking...
I sometimes forget that drinking on campus is against the rules because it’s so incredibly common. |
Anonymous says:  |
I have never heard of an incident...
I have never heard of an incident where they enforced a rule on campus, so I assume it’s pretty lax. |
Facts
What Are You Most Likely to Get Caught Doing on Campus?
- Having a toaster oven in your suite
- Keeping candles or other forbidden decorations in your room
- Parking illegally
- Underage drinking
- Drug possession
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