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August 23, 2007, 02:47 PM ET
Are Door Closers Spoiling College Students' Social Lives?
An architect who has worked on a number of campuses thinks so.
Robert F. Pulito, a principal in the S/L/A/M Collaborative, says life in residence halls has been completely changed by fire codes that require colleges to equip the doors to students’ rooms with automatic closing mechanisms. The mechanisms typically close doors with enough of a slam to make sure the locks engage.
Students used to leave their doors open and welcome visits from passers-by — who, in turn, could tell when visits were welcome because they could glance into rooms through open doors. Now, Mr. Pulito says, walking down a dormitory corridor “is like walking down a hotel hallway.” The easy interaction of decades past is missing. Many institutions, Mr. Pulito adds, discourage students from propping open doors that are intended to close automatically.
What’s the solution? Closers activated by fire-alarm systems would let doors stay open except in emergencies, but they’re too expensive for most colleges. Within suites, a college may not be required to put closers on doors — but that doesn’t help a traditional dorm with double rooms lining a corridor that is renovated and gets door closers in the process. Mr. Pulito says he sent his children to college with doorstops.
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