Editorial: Bowled Over

We don't want you back.

This is precisely the message the university administration sent to Bowles Hall residents who wanted to return to the dormitory this fall.

Bowles has proven to hold its own charms, though many students prefer to live in coed environments their first year. As UC Berkeley's oldest and most historically colorful dormitory, it's well-known for its decidedly male traditions. From treasure hunts to raucous midnight singing outside Stern Hall, Bowles' personality has proven addictive for many residents, some of whom live there for their entire undergraduate careers.

Imagine the consternation, then, when officials announced that from now on, Bowles would be open only to incoming freshmen in an effort to transform the hall culture. University officials say that rowdy traditions, alcohol consumption and negative resident reviews are what led them to give Bowles a facelift-and an enema.

But no dorm is perfect. Regardless of which dorm freshmen live in, there will be some loud parties, some untidiness and some drunkenness. No matter the dorm, some students will have great experiences while others will hate their entire time living there. It all comes down to the people.

The university seems well aware of that. But just as the University Students Cooperative Association gave the former Le Chateau a cultural makeover by bringing in new residents, they're trying to make this ancient dorm turn over a new leaf.

What administrators don't seem to understand is that there is something worth saving in the traditions of Bowles Hall. While Bowles won't shed its reputation as easily as it sheds its culture, it does make students feel less loyal to the dorm, as residents will be there a year at most anyway. It also strains student-university relations before they even enter their rooms-it comes off as another draconian measure parents put upon kids without room for reason. The university needs to form a cooperative relationship with the students-by making residents accountable for the state of the dorm and involving them in discussions on proposed changes-instead of taking a sledgehammer to the whole institution.

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