Thursday, March 28, 2024

Sprinkle U

The fire safety bill would increase safety on campus

Legislation proposed in the state House that would require sprinkler systems to be installed in residence halls should be passed.

State Rep. David Woodward, D-Royal Oak, proposed a bill two weeks ago that would require every college residence hall in the state to have a sprinkler system.

Out of 23 residence halls at MSU, only Mason and Abbot halls have sprinkler systems.

During the last three years, 115 fires were reported at colleges across Michigan. Last August, a fire broke out on the roof of a University of Michigan residence hall, but no one was injured.

Also last year, three students were killed and 62 injured in a residence hall at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J. The hall was equipped with fire extinguishers and smoke alarms, but not with sprinklers.

MSU is adding sprinkler systems to Shaw and Hubbard halls. Officials say it will cost about $1 million to install the system in Shaw Hall. The installation of the system will be part of the major renovations being done to the hall next fall.

This bill should be supported by state legislators. The safety of students in residence halls is something the state should make a top priority.

Residence halls house a large number of students in a relatively small space. A fire could be devastating by putting the lives of so many in danger.

MSU’s actions to improve fire safety by installing sprinklers in Shaw and Hubbard is a good start, but the university should not stop there. With or without the law, MSU and other Michigan colleges should make the effort to improve fire safety conditions for on-campus residents.

Lawmakers should also consider expanding the regulations to include off-campus student housing like fraternity, sorority and co-op houses. Many students live in these dwellings and efforts should be made to protect their safety as well.

The state should make every effort to find a way to provide funding to its colleges to meet these regulations. The largest burden of this shouldn’t be placed on students in the form of raised tuition. However, if necessary, paying a little extra in tuition is a small burden compared to the gain in safety conditions.

Now is the perfect time to enact these regulations. The state should not wait to act on this until after tragedy strikes. State lawmakers and colleges should work toward preventing fire-related disasters instead of dealing with these issues after they have occurred.

The proposed residence hall fire safety regulations are a good prevention measure. State lawmakers should back this bill to help protect the thousands of on-campus students in the state.

Efforts should be made to take the financial burden of these regulations away from the colleges and the students, but if it is necessary for tuition to be raised, so be it - the safety of students is a more important issue than money.

With or without new regulations, Michigan colleges should make the effort to provide students with the safest living conditions possible.

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