The dorms on this campus are notorious for false fire alarms. The University is now taking action, albeit overdue, to decrease the frequency of these instances.

Most students contend that this issue deserves the attention it finally appears to be getting because they loathe the weekly evacuation of their dorms, especially in the middle of the night.

The real part of the problem has to do with the reaction a fire alarm provokes more so than the direct inconvenience. The alarm system is the most valuable piece of life saving equipment in the dorms and it must deliver an impetus of fear whenever it goes off, not a lethargic mope down the stairs nor an attempt to hide in a room.

Rare occasions of false alarms are inevitable, but when they become commonplace, the credence of the warning deteriorates. Residents who ignore the fire alarms are making a foolish gamble because the risk of dying in a fire grossly outweighs the cost of leaving the building, but they know they’ll probably win the bet.

Unfortunately there are only two things that will reverse this obtuse philosophy: a fire resulting in fatalities or a drastic decrease in false alarms. The latter a feasible solution. The necessary measures may not be obvious, but adjusting the smoke detectors so they are not so sensitive as to pick up popcorn and hairspray seems logical.

The results of the University’s effort is yet to be seen, but they ought to quickly evaluate the effectiveness of the new system. If the false alarms are not rapidly and drastically reduced, the problem is still a major problem and students are still at risk.