Bwog had received several tips that during both random and scheduled fire alarms, maintenance staff had been spotted entering vacated rooms, apparently targeting specific room numbers, and asking some people to leave and letting others stay. What could we do but investigate?

The policy during an actual fire alarm (i.e. the event of burnt toast) is to only check rooms in the area that the alarm originates from. Only during planned alarms are random room checks conducted. How rooms were “randomly” chosen was not disclosed.

The room searches were implemented last year by Housing Services, Residential Programs and Public safety, after the proposal was passed by the Student Advisory Housing Board and Student Councils. The purpose of these checks was to ensure that students were leaving the building during fire drills. A letter to all CC and SEAS students was sent out last Spring informing them of these new procedures.

All of this seems a plausible and easily guessable explanation for what might be happening. However, we also found out that while University staff will not look in or open drawers or closets, they will be on the look out for fire hazards such as halogen lamps and candles, which will be removed if present. These must be collected from the Hospitality desk and disposed of or stored off campus. You have been warned!