Next year will bring a variety of new adjustments for the ENC campus: A cafeteria renovation in Mann Center, new solar panels installed for multiple buildings, She-brews, rivaling Hebrews, and more events that include dancing. The most unexpected move, though, is ENC’s “break” from its 96-year covenant.
The rules of the Community Covenant will be optional, but not enforced. If students want to have a companion of the opposite gender come over for a visit during non-open-dorm hours, that will be their choice.
A more detailed and specific list of “rules” will be ready to present during orientation in September.
The Student Development Office spent months of secretive planning and debate before reaching the decision to go on a one-year covenant hiatus.
When asked why ENC should finally break the covenant, Robert Benjamin answered, “ENC has always been on the cutting edge of other Christian schools and doing this keeps us ahead of everybody else.”
ENC students past and present have incessantly asked, ‘Why can’t we be like other schools? How are all these rules benefiting me in my future?’
Benjamin provided a new answer to those questions:
“We are looking at the benefits of cohabitation as they exist on other campuses around the country,” he said. “Researchers indicated that people living together has given them life skills which benefit them for years to come. So by doing this—it would part of the living learning policy—we thought that this would be more fulfilling to what we are trying to do.”
Current ENC students are divided on the new policy changes.
Senior and SGA Director of Publicity Steven Rodriguez said, “I like the rules they have set. It kind of keeps us safe. I feel that if we didn’t have set rules, we probably wouldn’t know what to do. It’s going to be interesting to see what campus is going to be like [next year].”
Sophomore Shelly Greaves said, “It’s about time. I think we’re at a point in our lives where we can act responsibly and consider the rules.”