Thanksgiving is a time of comfort and relaxation with those you care about, but for many students who will be spending the holiday in on-campus dorms, it may be less than a wholesome experience.

The Office of Residence life recently released their yearly letter to all resident students in which they detail all of the restrictions and regulations that come with remaining on campus over the holiday vacation. It’s a bullet format letter, listing all of the guidelines in which students must comply during vacation.

After reading the letter, I can’t help but think how unjust some of the regulations are; in the future, there should be a change in policy.

On a positive note, there is going to be a free Thanksgiving Day meal provided for students remaining on campus in the Donovan Community Room at 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day.

If you’re planning on attending this you must sign up at the Office of Resident Life on November 14th before 2:30 p.m.
Unfortunately, students on campus can expect to spend the rest of their break alone, as the visitation policy becomes even more stringent than it already is. Overnight guests, regardless of their St. John’s affiliation or sex, will not be permitted to sign in overnight. Non-St. John’s students will not be permitted to visit at any time during the five day break.

Furthermore, a resident may only have two visitors; both must be students at St. John’s.

With these harsh visitation policies, one may scratch their head at the regulation that prevents gatherings of any kind from taking place; surely there could be no such thing with such an authoritarian guest policy.

If you’re staying on campus over break, it won’t be easy to play video games with a bunch of friends, or form a study group to prepare for finals. And don’t even think about inviting a family member over, since you won’t be able.

In addition to these guidelines, the Residence Life letter goes on to inform students that there will be no food services available during the five-day span.

Montgoris, along with the C-store and other food facilities, will not open their doors. Considering that food is a crucial element of the Thanksgiving tradition, this puts resident students in an unhappy bind.

On a holiday such as Thanksgiving, these regulations do much to damper the festive spirit. A Thanksgiving without a gathering of our friends and family is not the quintessential day we all desire.

Students who live as far away as California or Florida, or even overseas, may find it too much of a pricey hassle to fly home for Thanksgiving, so why should they suffer a lesser Thanksgiving Holiday because of it? St. John’s should be understanding of resident’s needs, not overly rigid.