Everyone knows how much it sucks to wake up at 4 a.m. to the sound of a screeching siren. And everyone surely knows how much of a pain it is to throw on the warmest sweatpants, shirts and jackets one can find, curse whoever pulled the alarm that week and, of course, put up the obligatory "I hate fire alarms" away message. Usually these alarms are no more than a burnt piece of toast or a student's idea of a joke.
But on Friday morning, the fire alarm didn't go off due to a prank or kitchen mishap. Instead, police have ruled that five trash bins were set ablaze by arsonists, making this the first arson incident in AU history. The sprinklers went off, causing flooding in some students' rooms, damaging computers and other possessions. Obviously, the fact that someone would set fire to the residence halls is inconvenient at least, and appalling at most, but Friday's debacle proved that several things at AU are going right.
Credit must be given to TDR for allowing students to set up camp in the dining room and snack on bagels at such early hours. Resident Assistants also deserve a big thanks for passing out plates to tired and hungry students. Most professors were sympathetic to students who showed up to class with half-open eyes and plenty of complaints about lack of sleep.
The fact that the sprinkler system and fire alarms actually went off after the arson proves that the alarm system is effective. And while it seems obnoxious that most students have to use sticky putty-like stuff to hang up posters, the cinderblock walls actually prevent the spread of fire throughout the halls.
Although AU's community support proved helpful and comforting during the drama, several questions about the actual alarm system come to mind. Some students actually managed to sleep through the shrill shrieking of the alarm, leaving many wondering about the safety of the system. After all, it isn't a student's fault if he or she is a heavy sleeper. Installing strobe lights or fire alarms in each room would certainly wake up these students. And if that idea is too expensive or impractical, RAs could key into students' rooms and make sure that all of their residents are out of the building.
As for pranksters who like to pull the fire alarm, an ink system could be installed on the fire alarms. That way, whoever has pulled the alarm will have an embarrassing ink stain on his or her hand, alerting students and authorities to the culprit. As students are walking back inside after the buildings are cleared, they should show their hands to people working at the desk. Eventually, the perpetrator will be caught.
The most important thing now is to figure out who actually committed the crimes. Police have several leads, but students who have any information should come forward and talk to authorities. It's important to apprehend whoever is responsible for this, because students certainly don't want another rude wake-up call like the one Friday morning.
