The Griffon News

The beginning of this school year brought several significant changes to Western residential life including the new monthly health and safety inspections that are designed to provide a clean, safe and healthy place to live on campus.

According to Assistant Residential Director Sean O’Reilly, these inspections are done by residential assistants who go in to the rooms and do a cursory search. They look at the overall condition of the room including the walls, outlets and smoke detectors and any insect or rodent infestation.

O’Reilly stresses that the inspectors are not looking for perfectly clean rooms. He said that this helps prevent more cost to the university and students by identifying problems quicker and fixing them before they become more costly to repair.

He also stresses that the rights and privacy of the students are closely protected during these inspections. The inspections are conducted by two residential assistants, which is
designed to prevent any abuse by a single assistant.

Residential assistants receive specific education and training for the inspections to insure they are conducted properly. They are not allowed to look through the property of the student while conducting the inspections. Although, if there is contraband sitting out in the open, they are allowed to write the student up for violation of the school’s policies.

The penalty for a room in unsatisfactory condition is a write up stating the issue with the room. This is given to the Residential Housing Director for that particular residential building.

The student is given 48 hours to correct any health and safety issues found in their room.

If that student does not correct the issue or has a disagreement with the inspections, it is brought to an informal disposition to decide what corrective and disciplinary action needs to be taken. The residential hall directors have some leeway in what actions should be taken.

With the September inspections completed, O’Reilly said that out of approximately 900 students living on campus, there were 12 violations of the school’s policies and seven rooms in unsatisfactory condition.

“All in all students here at Western did a great job with the inspections,” O’Reilly said.

Residential student’s reactions to inspections are mixed.

Senior Elizabeth Robinson, said that she believes that the inspections serve a good purpose.

“I suppose I approve of these inspections,” Robinson said. “If they were doing them last year there might not have been that fire in the LLC last spring.”

An unattended lit candle, which is a violation of Housing’s policies, caused that fire.

Senior Rachel Bradford has some problems with how the inspections were carried out.

She said that inspection notices were placed up too late.

“I did not appreciate how the whole inspection was done,” Bradford said. “It was not enough time to tidy up my room.”

She also felt like the inspections covered more than health and safety issues.

“I do not think it is the housing’s concern how I live in my personal space, without a roommate, just whether or not it is complying with health and safety issues,” Bradford said. “Clutter is not health nor safety concern.”