70° Fort Worth
All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

TCU 360

All TCU. All the time.

TCU 360

Students discuss religious topics in a small group. (Photo courtesy of tcuwesley.org)
Wednesday nights at TCU’s Methodist campus ministry provide religious exploration and fellowship
By Boots Giblin, Staff Writer
Published Mar 27, 2024
Students at the Wesley said they found community on Wednesday nights.

Opinion: Student housing fire drills are a necessary nuisance

Students believe the fire drills are simply an excuse to confiscate belongings such as candles, but safety precautions are about more than a fresh smelling dorm.

Greek residents are complaining that the fire drills are tactics used to search their rooms. Many students are upset that candles and other items are being confiscated during the drills and feel that their privacy is being invaded.

I will admit fire drills are annoying. You miss the ending of your favorite TV show, lose a place in a book or maybe dinner gets cold, but any building that contains a large group of people together at one time needs to have a plan in case of an emergency.

The underlying issue from those who are complaining about the drills is not about inconvenience but more about the displeasure of being checked upon.

The drills and subsequent confiscations are not an invasion of privacy. When a student chooses to live on campus, even in Greek housing, that student must abide by campus rules even when they are not in class. If you are going to take the risk of having prohibited items in your room on campus, you must also accept the fact that you might get caught. If you want to have privacy and personal space without inspections, do not live on campus.

Junior biology major Catya Bonilla chose not to live on campus or in Greek housing because she liked having her own place and not having to worry about what she was allowed to do.

With any safety precaution comes a reason why it was implemented in the first place. No one held some crazy grudge against candles and decided that they should not be allowed. Events have taken place that have directly led to the list of items that are not allowed. Students should keep that in mind before getting upset over confiscated items. You want your place to smell better? Get some air freshener. Otherwise, put up with the fire drills and be glad that someone out there is looking out for your safety in the first place.

Valyrie Kulp is a junior writing major from Dallas, Texas.

More to Discover