New Rules Set for Bankston Hall After Unruly Conduct

Editor-in-Chief

 
   MONTICELLO - Bankston Hall, on the University of Arkansas-Monticello campus, received new rules to provide order and safety for its residents.

   The new rules include:

• No visitation for the rest of the semester
• No TV access or use of the lobby
• No access to the second and third floor study rooms
• No game room access

   Residents are not allowed to gather in the hallways and must go to and from a destination.  They can exit, but not enter the side doors. They can only enter through the lobby.

    Residence Life established the new rules after what happened in Bankston Hall the morning of April 24.

    A UAM Department of Public Safety report briefed what happened inside of Bankston Hall the night before and the chaos that happened.

   The fire alarm went off at Bankston Hall because someone sprayed a fire extinguisher all through the dorm. The officer on duty received a report that all the cameras at the exits were torn down from the ceiling.

   The case is currently under investigation.

   Jay Hughes, dean of students and director of Residence Life, explained the reason for the new rules.

    “With final examinations just days away, a variety of steps have been taken to ensure that the highest degree of order and safety are in place for all the students residing in Bankston Hall,” he said.

   First-year student Cedrick Booker does not associate much in Bankston Hall. He said there were people, who liked to hang out in the game room. Now they cannot and they did not do anything.  

   “They shouldn’t be punished for something some ignorant people did,” he said.

  According to a Public Safety daily report, the morning of April 24, the campus lost power around 1 a.m. and the lights came back on around 6:15 a.m. During this time, Horsfall Hall and Royer Hall received a visit from a group of male subjects.

   The report states all of the power went out on campus. After a few minutes public safety received a call from a residence assistant at Royer Hall saying a group of males entered the hall. They were yelling and being rowdy. 

   Public Safety received a call from someone in Horsfall Hall saying a group of males entered the building as well. They were yelling profanities and knocking things off the wall. A Public Safety officer did a walk through of the building.

   The officer noticed a group of females and some subjects matching the description of subjects in the halls around the pond. The officer advised them to go their halls. The male subjects started yelling and cursing and said that they had rights. They ran towards Bankston Hall saying, “No cameras.” The officer went to Bankston where they continued to yell and curse as he finally ran them into the hall. 

   The officer went back to Bankston Hall where approximately 50 subjects were being unruly. The officer called the Monticello Police Department and put the subjects back into the hall. The Public Safety officer stayed at Bankston Hall while the M.P.D. patrolled campus. The lights came back on around 6:15 a.m.