The Justice

Students can now be fined $150 if covered smoke detectors or other fire hazards are found in their rooms or residence halls during an unannounced periodic fire safety inspection, which Residence Life and University officials will be conducting, according to Director of Student Development and Conduct Erika Lamarre.

"Due to [fire] safety concerns, unannounced periodic checks in the halls between now and the end of semester will now be performed," wrote Community Development Coordinator Laura Arroyo in an e-mail sent to Ziv Quad residents yesterday.

In an e-mail to residents of Massell Quad, CDC Brian Koslowski wrote, "Residence Life needs to do [fire safety spot checks] because we keep finding covered smoke detectors throughout campus," referring to the recent incident in which the University was fined $23,000 by the Waltham Fire Department after covered smoke detectors were found in several rooms.

However, Director of Public Safety Ed Callahan said, "[Residence Life] does [fire inspections] at the end of each semester," implying that these periodic inspections may not be a result of recent events. He said that fire inspections are included in room contracts, and "as long as [Residence Life] gives you notice, they can do it."

CDCs Koslowski, Arroyo and Conor O'Keefe declined to speak to the Justice about this matter, with Arroyo referring all questions to Co-Director of Residence Life Jeremy Leiferman. Leiferman could not be reached for comment before the Justice went to print.

"Covering one's smoke detector is a HUGE fire safety concern, one that places your safety as well as the safety of others at risk," wrote Arroyo in her e-mail to Ziv Quad residents. "Covering your smoke detector, burning candles, incenses as well as smoking in your room will NOT be tolerated."

Lamarre said, "[Brandeis] reviewed what other colleges and universities were doing, and we found overwhelmingly that most were fining students tampering with fire safety equipment." She added that these fines typically ranged between $100 and $500 at other universities. Upon consideration, Brandeis settled on $150, Lamarre said.

None of the e-mails sent to residence halls explicitly mentions the fine. The e-mails merely stated, "If covered detectors or other fire safety violations are found, the situation will be documented," as O'Keefe wrote to Village Quad residents.

"The motivation for the fine is not at all financial; our hope is that it will act as a deterrent," Lamarre said. She said, "The money from the fines [will] be rooted back to the Student Affairs department to put toward fire safety programming."

Student Union President Jason Gray '10 agrees that the fine will provide students with the incentive to be more conscious about fire safety. However, he expressed concern over the inspection process. "I have a bunch of questions on how these inspections will be handled," he said. Since the e-mails were just sent yesterday, the Student Union "will be speaking with the University to gather more information on this," he said.

"It is important that their inspections adhere to the rules set forth in Rights and Responsibilities," Gray said. He added that he did not wish to pass judgment on the fire inspections without speaking to the University first.

Lamarre elaborated that there are going to be some fire safety programs specifically for Rosenthal residents concerning "the fire safety policies, covered smoke detectors that were found in abundance and ways to combat the problem [of fire hazards]." Lamarre will host "Fire Safety Awareness," a mandatory event that will take place tomorrow (Wednesday) for students in Rosenthal who were documented for covering smoke detectors.

"For us to be able to create a culture in which people can positively practice fire safety, the whole community needs to be engaged in the process," Gray said.

-Alana Abramson contributed reporting.

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools