Dorms unguarded during first weekend of the semester

The+Carrollton+desk+sits+closed+at+2%3A10+a.m.+on+Aug.+28.+The+Buddig+and+Carrollton+desks+were+unguarded+for+part+of+the+night+of+Midsummer+Mardi+Gras.+Photo+credit%3A+Molly+Olwig

The Carrollton desk sits closed at 2:10 a.m. on Aug. 28. The Buddig and Carrollton desks were unguarded for part of the night of Midsummer Mardi Gras. Photo credit: Molly Olwig

Gage Counts

UPDATED AUG. 28, 2016 AT 5:55 P.M.

The front desks of the Carrollton and Buddig residence halls were unstaffed between 1:30 and 2:30 a.m. on Aug. 28, according to photographs taken at the time and comments from witnesses.

Saturday night marked the celebration of Mid-Summer Mardi Gras, a parade and block party on Oak Street north of South Carrollton that is popular with students.

Amy Boyle, director of residential life, told The Maroon that there are vacancies right now in the desk assistant positions because Residential Life typically fills the spots vacated by graduating seniors during the second week of classes.

“Despite our best efforts to staff, there were gaps in the schedule this past weekend,” Boyle said in an email.

She said that Residential Life decided to fill all of the shifts in first-year student buildings this weekend and opt for less coverage in upperclassman residence halls like Carrollton, with LUPD increasing its presence in those areas to compensate.

Boyle did not address the vacancy in Buddig Hall, which houses many first year students.

“We are currently working with our desk teams to shuffle schedules and will focus coverage in each building from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. each night, until we have trained and staffed our new employees over the next week,” Boyle said.

“We can and should do better.”

Each residence hall is staffed by a desk assistant at all times to ensure that Residential Life’s check-in procedures are being met. One such procedure is keeping the host student and guests’ ID cards at the desk and returning them when the guest checks out.

If no one is working at the desk, the last desk assistant gives the ID cards he or she has to Loyola police.