It may not be common knowledge, but I transferred to Ashland University last Spring. Being a transfer, I’ve had to endure a number of challenges, the most predominant being having to get used to policies here at AU.

I came from a very small very Catholic university in Steubenville, OH – Franciscan University. I loved Franciscan and miss it most days. But it is a bit of a relief to be at a less-strict school. However, it’s been brought to my attention that most students here at AU do nothing but complain about our policies.

So, let me break it down for you. Maybe after reading this, you’ll have a deeper understanding and gratitude toward our school.

The number one policy that most students hate here is the visitation policy. Just to refresh your memory, here is what the Ashland University student handbook states about the visitation policy: “Visitation for guests of the opposite sex on floors and in rooms where students reside is from 8 a.m. to 2 a.m. seven days a week.”

The handbook continues to say that guests are not permitted to use restroom facilities intended for the opposite sex and that the host of said guest is responsible for making sure their guest knows and understands all University policies and will take responsibility for their actions.

Our escort policy is separate and states, “Between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. guests of the opposite sex can still visit on floors and in student rooms but must be escorted by their host/hostess.”

Now, let’s take a look at Franciscan’s Visitation Policy. Brace yourself; it’s lengthy.

“Visitors must be admitted to the hall by a resident of that hall. Visitors of the opposite sex must be escorted and announced (“Man/Woman in the Hall”) as they walk down the hall. Members of the opposite sex are not permitted to loiter in the halls of any building. All visitors of the opposite sex must be directly escorted to a common area.”

This section refers to only visitors – which is anyone visiting the residence halls. A guest is any “non student” who is staying overnight in a residence hall. Here is the policy regarding guests, “All guests must be registered with the Residence Life staff and are responsible for abiding by the same policies as the resident. Guest visits may not exceed three days without approval of the Residence Director. No guests of the opposite sex are permitted to stay overnight in the residence halls. No overnight guests are permitted during Orientation weekends, exam weeks, and graduation.”

On top of this, there is the “Open Hours” policy. This can be compared to our escort policy: “Contrary to a visitation policy which may encourage inappropriate intimacy and exclusivity, the open house philosophy encourages an atmosphere where all are welcome to move about and visit the hall. Open House Hours are Friday, 6:00 pm – 10:00 pm, and Sunday, 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm. There are no Saturday Open House Hours. In the “spirit” of the policy, room doors must be open at all times.”

How does Ashland’s visitation policy sound now? Franciscan’s policy makes Ashland’s policy seem like nothing.

The point of this column is not to bash Franciscan and their policies – it’s to point out that things could be so much worse than they are here at Ashland.

At Malone University in Canton, Ohio, doors must be open 90 degrees when a member of the opposite sex is visiting. Both of their feet must be on the floor at all times.

Duquesne University has different visitation hours for freshman and upperclassmen.

Moral of the story: things could be worse. They can always be worse. So, stop complaining about something that isn’t really that big of a deal and look at the bigger picture.