Angry students fired off calls at the Office of Student Life over largely unannounced fire inspections which took place this week on much of campus. Save a handful of signs scattered in the entryways to some dormitories, students were not notified these inspections were imminent.
While the policy is not formally spelled out in the student handbook, the College has had a longstanding policy of giving students prior notice of fire inspections.
This year, however, things are different.
“The protocol for notification has changed,” Dean of Students Peter Goldsmith said. “I was told that they put up signs in the entryways.”
“There actually is no regulation that requires us to notify students in advance of fire safety inspections,” he added.
Director of Residential Life and Dining Services Kim LaFond asserted that prior notice had in fact been given. He stated that students were told in the housing contract they signed in March, and that inspections were discussed at the first floor meeting and that notices were posted in the halls.
But according to multiple students, these notices often never went up. While fire inspections were announced at the initial hall meetings, they were couched as something students need not worry about, since posters would state exactly when the inspections were to take place.
“Well, that’s obviously not true,” said College senior Wendy Jackson. “And it’s his job to realize it’s not true. And if that influences how I feel about my privacy at Oberlin, that’s not my fault. It’s his fault.”
According to Jackson, signs were not put up in time because ResLife had failed to provide the Resident Assistants with sufficient time to put up the signs.
“They were supposed to put up posters but they weren’t given them in time,” she said. “I think that it wasn’t supposed to go this way.”
Jackson also said she thought that inspections hadn’t occurred on much of north campus, and that perhaps these students were being given more notice. At least one north campus dorm, North, is known to have been inspected this week.
“It creates a situation where half the campus gets to know ahead of time, and the other half is ambushed,” she remarked.
The College, though, is of a different opinion. In April 2001, Student Senate and the General Faculty passed a revised judicial code which codified the procedure for “life safety inspections,” which can be found on page 235 of the student handbook.
Seeing too many incidences where students simply removed plastic bags covering smoke detectors before inspections, they decided to empower Resident Assistants to conduct them without mandating that students in their hall be notified.
“The main issue was the discovery in some cases of bagged smoke detectors,” Goldsmith said. “This is dangerous because it thwarts the fire safety system and places the residents of that room and other rooms in danger.”
“Such an inspection gives us an opportunity to see students’ living situation and assist them in understanding the community safety issues and responsibilities,” LaFond said.
In fact, smoke detectors were reported bagged to Security this week.
The trouble with the new regulations, students say, is that the College can theoretically enter a room at any time to do fire inspections. In addition, the regulations empower agents of the College to confiscate or report any illegal substances or drug paraphernalia found in the room.
“The main change is that it gave the College the authority to take note of and in some cases confiscate prohibited or illegal items,” Goldsmith said.
One RA who declined to be named said that s/he wouldn’t have reported or confiscated anything that wasn’t on the prescribed list of items that they’re supposed to be searching for in a fire inspection.
“There’s a very set purpose that we’re there for,” the RA said. “We were specifically told not to touch anything.”
Seizing or reporting items, s/he said, is “a first amendment issue because it’s a surprise factor.”
The RA also agreed that the dearth of announcement was a change from previous years.
“I think it was more broadly announced in the past,” s/he said.
One student also chided the College for creating more safety problems, since some RAs have left doors unlocked or ajar during inspections. Senior Sharon Poku, who lives in Afrikan Heritage House, says that her door was left unlocked twice; once on the initial inspection and again on the followup.
“Last night, I came back and my door was unlocked again,” she said. “The whole point of fire inspections is to ensure my safety, and if you’re leaving any door unlocked, you’re defeating the purpose.”