Dear Physical Plant/Fire Safety people,
I truly appreciate what you guys do. You keep the dorms clean, make sure doors close and that the lights stay on. It’s a tough job and all students are grateful you do it. However, I am not sure what you aim to gain from your constant inquisition-like searches. Surely, raiding rooms while we were away on break and leaving lovely yellow notes with fines instead of warnings, as well as confiscating people’s property, should give you enough amusement. Perhaps you guys get a cut from each violation you catch students for. I don’t know what it is, but you, my friends, have zeal that would make a small tropical island dictator quite proud. Wesleyan’s own Tonton Mancoutes.
I will admit, the situation is not that horrible–for the most part. However, there are cases in which P-Safe/Fire Safety has decided to actively search through a student’s closet, and proceed to open boxes within said closet. Sometimes they decide to take fully acceptable electronics (coffee makers and auto-off water heaters). Furthermore, a quick survey of the fines that this school assesses is completely ludicrous. $500 for a screen? Something that takes ten minutes and $10 in supplies to fix? Or even worse, makes no sense! It costs $25 to change a lock. However, if it is “damaged” it will cost $250 to replace. Furthermore, P-Safe’s on-site assessment (more like a small raid if you’re present in the room) reveals a misunderstanding by the staff itself. Somehow a window open is a fire hazard, even though the list of charges and things that cannot be done in your room do not talk about open windows but open window screens.
P-Safe, I urge you to please reassess your policies and actions. Your own guidelines are vague in certain sections. You have taken it upon yourselves to invade student’s rooms and rummage through their items. But worst of all, you have taken it upon yourself to attempt to fine students for regulations that do not even exist. We all understand that you are trying to give us a safe living environment and make sure we don’t burn down the building. But remember, as students WE are the ones that live in the building. We are not irrational people; talk to us, or maybe leave us notes (like the one you left when you fixed my window).
Sincerely,
One of your 2,800 residents.
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