Barbecue lovers will rejoice in the decision taken by the Undergraduate Residential Life Committee (URLC) to install charcoal grills in the Butterfields Courtyard. The move will add cooking options for students living in the only dorm without kitchen facilities. Fire Safety will fund the grills with money from student fines collected this year.
The lack of kitchen facilities in the Butts plagues residents trying to cook their own meals. As a result, a number of students keep cooking appliances in their rooms, leading to many fire code violations. Michael Pernick ’10, co-chair of the URLC, explained that fire safety fines and confiscations only add to what many see as less-than-ideal student housing.
“The Butts are pretty undesirable [because] they don’t have basic things like a kitchen,” Pernick said.
The URLC, a joint committee of Residential Life, Resident Advisors, the Wesleyan Student Assembly and University staff, made improvements to the Butts’ cooking facilities a high priority at its first meeting of the academic year last week. However, the lengthy processes behind both the renovations required for kitchens to be built and the maintenance requests from Physical Plant led Pernick to “seriously doubt” that a kitchen would be installed this year. In the mean time, the URLC developed the idea of installing outdoor charcoal grills in the courtyard.
Associate Director of Campus Fire Safety Barbara Spalding hoped the installation of grills would cut down on the number of students bringing their own grills and cooking appliances. Details of safe charcoal handling are still being worked out with Fire Safety. If students do not follow proper safety regulations, Spalding said that the grills would have to be removed.
“Hopefully, we can keep it safe,” she said.
Three grills have been ordered and will be installed within three weeks. Two will be placed in the Butts Courtyard, while the third will be placed at another residence to be announced. The URLC hopes to add even more grills in the spring.
Pernick reported positive reactions from the students with whom he has discussed the idea.
“I haven’t heard a single negative response,” Pernick said. Pernick stressed that the grills will act as one additional cooking option, and plans to build kitchens in the Butts by next fall are still going forward. For now, though, Pernick reported that he will be taking full advantage of this latest culinary option.
“I would go out and grill in the dead of winter,” he said.
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