Most Ateneans would probably consider the campus as their second home. After all, it is where they spend most of their time studying and engaging in extra-curricular activities.

For some of them, however, “home” takes on a more literal meaning.

Located beside the Church of the Gesu and right behind Berchmans Hall, the University Residence Halls are composed of Cervini Hall, Eliazo Hall, and the recently constructed University Dormitory. Over 621 students from provinces around the country live there.

“Our mission as a residence hall is to provide a conducive environment for our resident students to fulfill the university’s ideals,” says Ateneo Residence Halls Director Timothy Gabuna in a mix of Filipino and English.

Behind these dormitories’ walls, however, is an atmosphere that’s far from conducive. “Nakaka-affect talaga [ang ingay] sa akin, pero tinitiis ko na lang (Its environment really affects me, but I just make do with it),” says Louie*, a senior who has resided in the halls for two years now.

Also, according to him, some students engage in illegal activities such as using marijuana, drinking alcohol during regular school days, and even having sex with fellow dormers within campus grounds.

“Memorable”

Unknown to many, Cervini Hall is not the first dorm on campus. Just after transferring from Padre Faura into the Loyola Heights campus, Jesuits supplied the need for in-school residences by using the second and third floors of the school gymnasium.

When the college department moved into Kostka and Berchmans Halls, the gymnasium-dormitory was closed and Campion Hall, now known as Bellarmine Hall became the new college dorm. As the population steadily increased, the gym was opened again, this time, with Ricci Hall as its temporary residence.

In 1964, the need for a bigger dormitory led to the building of Cervini Hall. Unlike Bellarmine, which only had a capacity of 96 students, Cervini accommodated 200 dormers.

Three years later, Eliazo Hall was constructed. As a result of the new residences, the gymnasium was closed permanently and Bellarmine Hall became a part of the college department.

In 1972, Eliazo temporarily closed down after the enrollment rate dropped and the rate of drug use in its rooms increased. After seven years, however, Eliazo reopened. With the number of female Ateneans increasing, this dorm became exclusive for them.

It was only in 1998 when the concept of the dorm as a second home was institutionalized through a series of strategic planning sessions. According to Associate Dean of Student Affairs (ADSA) Rene San Andres, these programs are aligned with the then College of Arts and Sciences’ (now the Loyola Schools) formation thrusts.

To embody the university’s ideals, the administration has the Ateneo Resident Students’ Association (ARSA) plan and manage much of the dorms’ activities. Besides this, ARSA’s committees, such as those of academics, spirituality, and sports wellness, help the dormers lead a balanced lifestyle. Resident mentors are also available to help them cope with their problems.

“I want them to be happy with their experience in the dormitory so that when they graduate, they are in love with the residence halls and, in effect, in love with Ateneo de Manila,” says Gabuna in a mix of Filipino and English.

“Although it felt at the beginning that I was forced to stay in the dorm, I will be forever grateful to have stayed there,” says Paula David (BS Psy ’05) in a mix of Filipino and English. During her four-year stay there, she had developed sibling-like relationships with her fellow dormers.

“I loved my dorm experience and it tops the list of the most memorable things that happened to me in [the] Ateneo.”

Securing the halls

Like any other campus dorm, the residence halls aren’t complete without their share of delinquent behavior. In the halls’ case, loud chatting and computer gaming, as well as going home past the curfew, are the most common violations.

As agreed upon by Gabuna and ADSA, minor offenses such as these are resolved by the halls’ administration and the affected dormers’ families, among others. He also says that, since they’re solvable within the dorm community, they’re not reported to ADSA anymore.

Dormers who commit minor offenses, which include the said common violations, receive a demerit. They are only allowed to have 15 demerits per semester. Otherwise, they will be put under probation as dormers the next semester. This means that they will get kicked out of their dorm if they commit again more than 10 demerits.

Meanwhile, those who commit major offenses, such as assaulting other dormers and stealing, are directly brought to ADSA.

Also, to prevent these incidents from further occurring, the residence halls have five security guards, each with a 12-hour shift. According to Gabuna, the number of security personnel is based on the number of entry and exit points that the halls have and not on the number of dormers.

Going underground

Some students, however, manage to get past these remedies.

While the guards are required to do their nightly rounds around the halls, their inspection is only limited within the corridors. Inspecting the dormers’ rooms, without permission, is considered an invasion of privacy, and is thus prohibited.

For instance, smoking, which is a major offense, is usually done inside the dormers’ rooms. This is despite the Smokers’ Pocket Garden near the dorms.

According to Louie, this vice isn’t only limited to the use of cigarettes. “Before, in the old dorm, a lot of them were smoking marijuana in the balcony, although they never got caught since it [the room] doesn’t smell like [marijuana].”

Things haven’t changed a bit, even when some students moved to the newly-built dormitories. Says Louie, people still smoke near the window.

“You can see ashtrays and stuff [on] their bedside table.”

Louie says that there are also dormers who have sex in the balconies, their bedrooms, or the comfort rooms.  Those who engage in these acts would often check whether their partners’ bedroom doors are locked. If they are, the dormers would then try to get in through the balcony “which is very, very easy.”

Too lenient? 

Kriselda Evangelista (IV BS ME), who has been staying at the residence halls for four years, believes that their administration should be stricter in implementing rules. “I always wonder why some students still aren’t asked to leave the dorm despite the rumors I hear about their misbehavior.”

She says, however, that, all things considered, security in the halls is “just fine.” While some security guards are friendly and others quiet, they know when to assert themselves to the students.

“[The security guards] rarely check,” says Louie. He also thinks that the current number of security guards isn’t enough to further prevent rules from being violated.

David thinks that the administration wasn’t that strict during her stay. “I think that the security system at Cervini is more lenient compared to Eliazo, especially during parties,” she says.

Despite this, David believes security was still able to maintain its authority over the students.

The right mix

For Gabuna, however, tightening security isn’t an option. “The more that we tighten the security, the more that they [the students] will do something.” According to him, it might be that some students just want to experience the thrill of getting caught.

He also tries not to make a big deal out of the dormers’ actions, particularly the minor violations.

While this may be the case, San Andres says that there should be a balance between the dorm acting as a family and a sector of the school. “[The administration] became very explicit about the identity of the dorm as a second home away from home,” San Andres says. “You have to run it like a family, like a home.”

“It cannot be the no-holds-barred type because then, in fact young people will lose respect for the authority, if the authority lets them do whatever they want,” he says.ν

*Name has been changed to protect the individual.

*Editor’s Note: The GUIDON has published a statement about this article. View it here.