Graphic by Trinity Kendrick ’21
BY FLANNERY LANGTON ’22
Over the past weeks, students at Mount Holyoke have received emails from members of the Residential Life staff about upcoming health and safety room checks. The emails included basic time and date information, as well as a lengthy list of items not allowed in the residence halls or apartments. Inspections took place between Nov. 7 and Nov. 15.
Some items on the list are easier to understand, such as obstructed smoke detectors and open flame burners. Other items, though still definitely flammable, elicit laughter, such as cornstalks, hay and straw.
The list was compiled based on items found in campus rooms over the past years. It has “developed and grown over the course of decades,” Rachel Alldis, Assistant Dean of Students and Director of Residential Life, said.
These are items that the office of Resident Life has deemed a fire hazard, with a particular emphasis on “things facilities has concerns about,” Alldis explained. Other items are on the list because they have been found across the board on other colleges’ fire safety pages.
Mount Holyoke’s standards need to meet those of the California Fire Code as well.
“California Fire Code is probably the strictest fire code there is, and most schools follow that. So we say anything you have in your room has to meet California fire safety standards.” This became the standard in the late 1990s. Items already in the rooms, such as the beds and desks, have been treated to meet these standards and some upholstered furniture can be made so as well.
“We are most challenged by stores like Target and Bed Bath and Beyond and other things saying ‘get this for your dorm’,” Alldis said, because they advertise items that do not meet the fire codes of most colleges and universities. Students are often convinced by this advertising and bring these items to school only to have them flagged during room checks.
“That sort of stuff we aren’t confiscating, we are just asking to take home with you,” Alldis said. “Why would you have really known any differently?”
“I think most people really try to follow policies and rules … we try to just make them aware of the concern and encourage them to bring those things home. But I feel like candles are a pretty widely known [hazard],” she said.
Residential Life found that despite flagging candles and space heaters as violations, students continued to leave them in their rooms. Because of this, a new policy was added to the process: the confiscation of candles and space heaters. “They’re our biggest fire hazards, and it is a fairly standard practice at other institutions,” Alldis said.
This change was also made in the student handbook. In a section titled “Fire Safety and Violation Policy,” the handbook reads, “The most frequent cases of residence hall fires on campus have been candles and incense … If found in rooms, candles and incense will be confiscated.”
Space heaters are listed under “Electrical Equipment and Appliances” in a list of other devices that are prohibited in residence hall rooms.
These items if taken can be retrieved at the end of the semester to be brought home.