Residence Hall Association President Will Mount has authored and passed a resolution through RHA that would call for a "zero tolerance" policy toward AU students that pull fire alarms. The resolution calls for a swift and severe punishment of residents who have pulled alarms by expelling them from the university.
Mount has lived in Letts Hall for four years, and considers fire alarms to be a serious problem. If there were ever a fire in the residence halls, AU students could be injured or killed - giving adequate reason for stricter penalties for pulling alarms without cause.
"With each pull, less people are going out," Mount said.
He said that a degree of maturity is expected from college students, and if students want to be treated as adults, they must also face adult punishments.
Though Mount is firm and passionate about this resolution, the RHA only has so much control in the AU administration. Judicial Affairs and Mediation Services will make the final decision about the severity of punishments, and the RHA may only propose recommendations.
The Residence Hall Association is beginning to work in conjunction with the Student Government to establish a joint task force to address fire alarm situation. This task force would include members from the RHA and five senators from the SG to come up with a plan for dealing with this continuous problem.
The task force, if implemented, would address possible solutions to the problem. It would explore the options of video surveillance, an anonymous phone line for information and a quasi-neighborhood watch program in the residence halls.
Will Haun, a freshman in the School of Public Affairs and a member of the Student Government Senate, is supportive of this task force. However, the resolution calling for zero tolerance is too absolute, according to Haun. "I agree with zero tolerance policies for students that pull fire alarms as pranks, but expulsion should be left up to JAMS," Haun said.
Haun explained that the Student Government was holding a committee meeting Dec. 7 to discuss the issue of combating fire alarms. He hopes to first allow AUSG to publicize the $200 award for information regarding those who pull alarms, as well as implementing the task force.
Many students living on South Side tend to agree with enforcing stricter penalties for individuals who pull fire alarms, while those who are off campus feel less strongly.
Aria Grabowski, a sophomore in SPA and a Centennial Hall resident, is firm about her support of the expulsion policy. "Throw them in jail for all I care," Grabowski said. "If you're stupid enough to pull an alarm, you should be expelled."
Zach Sutton, a freshman in the College of Arts and Science and a Letts Hall resident, agreed.
"Considering they are doing injustice to the residents as well as the staff, I don't think we should tolerate people pulling alarms," he said. Sutton was, however, more reluctant to sentence a person to expulsion, as it would affect the rest of that person's life.
Residents off campus tend to be less certain of these punitive measures. "I think that is a bit extreme," said Christina D'Ambrosio, a senior in SPA, who lives off campus. "I think they should be given an excessive warning, like a fine, and then be expelled," she said.
