Many students returned to campus from winter break to find that candles and hot pots had been removed from their rooms and replaced by cheery yellow papers notifying them of exorbitant fines.
At the beginning of the year, the Fire Safety Department decided to raise fines for banned objects.
This policy of confiscating fire hazards reminds us of when elementary school teachers would settle a fight by simply removing distracting toys. The difference is that third graders could get their yo-yo back at the end of the year. Fire Safety can police us, but do they have to patronize us as well?
As students, we are willing to make compromises, and we hope that Fire Safety will do the same. We will concede that hazards such as candles and incense should be banned. But some rules are less directly tied to fire safety. For example, tapestries and painted walls don’t pose immediate dangers. Reducing our rooms to monastic cells might make fire alarms more infrequent, but it will definitely lower the quality of student life.
Students and the WSA have requested a fines appeals process but have been denied. If Fire Safety insists on being more stringent, they also need to allow some form of checks and balances.
Finally, this money is burning a hole in the University’s pocket—literally. Instead of doing something constructive with the money, they are doing something destructive. A significant portion of the fines may contribute to the construction of a prototype dorm that will be burned to demonstrate the danger of fire hazards.
This money could be put to better use. Let’s keep dorm money in the dorms: we propose that it be used to improve lounge spaces. New rugs, new TVs, new couches. It might be petty, but hey, it is our money.
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