The new resolution eliminates curfew on Friday and Saturday nights, and extends visitation hours in the residence halls by members of the opposite sex to the hours of 8 a.m. to 1 a.m. for Sunday through Thursday.

Just as importantly, the resolution further stresses the right of the roommate to reside in a 'distraction-free environment.' It also enhances the Resident Assistants' authority to keep their floors free of disruption.

With 1,368 freshman student signatures backing the resolution, it was passed by the SGA on Oct. 27. Subsequently, it was also officially endorsed by The Stuart Complex Council, The Marycrest Complex Council, and The Founders Hall Council.

Freshman senator Matt Maroon was the driving force behind the resolution, and served as its author and presenter.

'It was very apparent when talking with fellow first-year students that something needed to be done about the current visitation policy,' Maroon said. 'It attempts to protect the rights of students, but instead it is seen as a tool for 'babysitting'.'

'Some argue that freshmen are not yet mature enough to handle lighter rules,' Maroon said. 'I strongly disagree. We are adults and should be treated as such.'

The current policy restricts visitation hours to 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. on Sunday through Thursday, and from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. on Friday and Saturday.

'Life at UD does not stop at midnight or 2 a.m.,' Maroon said. 'Instead students use that time to study on the weekdays and build stronger community through socialization on the weekends.'

SGA president Sarah Grover agreed that the visitation policy change would be beneficial to freshman students with demanding schedules.

'With many first-year students becoming active and involved on campus, they come home late and it is difficult for them to find time to study with classmates during the current visitation hours,' Grover said.

While Maroon and the other freshman senators were collecting the over 1,300 signatures, they received a lot of feedback from the students themselves. The vast majority indicated that this policy usually isn't followed, and most had violated the policy within the last week.

'The lifestyles of first-year students are not going to dramatically change if this policy is amended,' Maroon said. 'The current policy is violated by most UD freshmen already. That is not to say that every rule that is broken should be changed, just that this policy isn't doing anything right now.'

The resolution did face criticisms and concerns, though. Some people worried that the RA's authority would be undermined by the policy. However, the resolution emphasizes that 'University staff (i.e. RA, RC, etc.) reserves the right to ask any member of the opposite sex, whether during visitation or not, to leave the floor during the time the staff member feels the person is compromising the atmosphere of the hall.'

Another primary concern was the rights of the roommate. However, the resolution clearly states that 'The needs of the roommate(s) to sleep, study, and otherwise be free from interference and disruption as well as the right to privacy are paramount, and supersede the right of a resident to have a guest.'

'The roommate's right to privacy has always been paramount and this document only re-emphasizes that right to privacy,' Maroon said. 'This new policy gives the RA more of a right to go after the root of a disruption, not to simply write up students who are not causing trouble.'

One other argument against the resolution is that sexual relations would be more likely to take place if the current policy were changed.

'It would be absurd to think that the policy is stopping students from engaging in activities that are questionable,' Maroon said. 'Those who do it, will, and those who don't, will not. This amended policy does not condone activities that are questionable.'

With 1,368 of the 1,662 students in the class of 2006, 85.5 percent of freshman students signed the petition to support the resolution.

'In actuality only about 10 of the about 1,380 students we made contact with declined to sign it because they 'liked it the way it is,' and they are entitled to that,' Maroon said. 'There are over 200 freshmen we just didn't make contact with, and if the percentage had been about the same that would have been almost 200 additional signatures.'

'We are pleased with the outpour of support from the first-year students as well as the upperclassmen,' Maroon said. 'The students have spoken, and change is requested.'

Maroon is planning to meet with administration to obtain their views, and a possible meeting with the ELC is tentatively scheduled for Dec. 5.

'An amendment to the visitation hour policy has never been as fully researched, developed and supported as what Matt and the other first year senators have done,' Grover said. 'They have been busy these past few weeks gaining the opinions and perspectives of 1,370 first-year students.'