Campus Council was forced to concede Friday in its campaign to allow students to construct their own lofts.
The University's concern for student safety "outweighs any of the arguments [Campus Council] offers for sustaining personally constructed lofts," Vice President for Student Affairs Larry Moneta wrote in an e-mail to Campus Council President Molly Bierman and Vice President Kevin Thompson, both seniors.
"It's a sad state for students," Thompson said. "This [issue] is now a closed chapter."
Last May, Campus Council members urged Residence Life and Housing Services not to ban student-made lofts on campus in a formal recommendation. When RLHS approved a policy in June that would require students to purchase lofts from specified vendors, Campus Council leaders drafted a memorandum to reach a compromise that considered safety and students' rights to customize their rooms.
The RLHS policy is already in effect on East Campus and in Keohane Quadrangle. It will take effect on all of West Campus in Fall 2009.
In his letter, Moneta said the University's Fire Marshall Fred Knipper "refuted the statement that there is no law against bringing a pile of wood into your room." Moneta said Knipper confirmed that "wood adds significantly to the combustible loads in the room.... Most importantly, the lofts interfere with the proper operation of the sprinkler system-a serious fire code violation."
Moneta said he has seen "great tragedy" in which lofts contributed to combustibility.
Bierman said the response was disappointing but "predictable."
"It is certainly frustrating to know that we did everything we could, but still did not come up with the desired outcome," she wrote in an e-mail.
Moneta also used his letter to apologize to Campus Council for the lack of communication between student leaders and RLHS about the decision.
"At least the response does acknowledge the lapses in communication about the decision and 'pledges' that communications will improve in the future," Bierman said.
For now, Campus Council will focus on providing more options for loft rental, for which Moneta encouraged feedback. University-sponsored lofts can currently be rented for $240 a year, a price Thompson said was too high. The council will also encourage RLHS to provide bedpost extenders in all residence hall rooms, he added.
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