Most of Loyola’s campus may be desolate during Mardi Gras break, but the dorms will be buzzing with visitors ready to celebrate.
More tourists from all over America are trickling in every day as the homestretch to Fat Tuesday approaches. These include the guests of Loyola students who live on campus.
Every year, residential students are allowed to have guests in the dorms during the break, but not without adherence to a few rules and security adjustments implemented by Residential Life and University Police.
Robert Reed, director of Residential Life, said rules are in place “in order to provide a safe environment to come back to from the parades.”
Only same-sex registered guests are allowed to stay overnight. Guests must be registered with the student’s resident advisor, and there is a fee of $100 that secures a pass in and out of the residential halls from Friday at noon until Tuesday at noon.
The maximum number of occupants allowed in each room during Mardi Gras break is three. If there are two roommates in one room, there can only be one guest, and two guests are permitted to stay with residents in a single dorm room without a roommate. Non-registered guests are allowed to visit from 10 a.m. until midnight.
University Police Lt. Angela Honora of said there will be “detail officers” alongside Res Life staff members posted in the dorm lobbies from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., who also monitor the doors with a guest list from 2 a.m. to 6 a.m.
Everyone must show his ID at the front desk every time he enters, and all visitors must leave their IDs with the front desk until they leave. She said in the past there haven’t been any significant disruptions or complications with guests on campus for Mardi Gras. “Every now and then we may have an intoxicated student, but nothing major,” Honora said.
Students who have had guests stay with them for Mardi Gras in previous years said it was a good experience, despite the rules.
“I had a guest my first year at Loyola. It was so much fun. I had to find every way to bend the rules, but it was worth it for possibly getting in trouble,” said Cory Brim, mass communication junior.
Jana Levitov, psychology sophomore, lives on campus and said she doesn’t want to have guests stay because “if you or your guest loses your ID, you’re up … [a] creek because you need your ID for everything.”
Reed offered his primary piece of advice to students who live on and off campus during Mardi Gras: “Obey the police. If they ask you to do something, do it. During this time it’s very hard to get bailed out of jail or get in touch with people.”
Sally Tunmer can be reached at [email protected].
