Residence life Drops Ball on Conduct Code Regulations Issue

I've been living on campus ever since I started attending Salem State University, and I've had very few complaints up until now. The dorms have been generally comfortable and fun to live in and I've had no problems. Obviously, not everything about the Salem State residence halls can appeal to everyone, so some people are less satisfied about their time in them. Sometimes the central heat is set too high, or the bathrooms are cleaned at less than convenient times, but these are small inconveniences— nothing that would give me any trouble.

However, I was involved in an incident a few weeks ago that I was not happy with. It had nothing to do with the specific residence hall I am living in because I think Atlantic Hall is the best dorm at SSU. I like the idea of the suite set-up, because I find it more convenient than simple doubles like the ones in Marsh Hall. I like that I now have a kitchen, and only have to share a bathroom with three other females.

What I don't like, on the other hand, is the way the Residence Life Staff handle certain things. I will admit I am a pretty upfront person. I like it when people tell me exactly what is going on instead of leaving me in the dark. Therefore, I was not happy when I received a letter from Residence Life that was as unspecific as possible. Add to the fact that I was being accused of something potentially serious, and that only made things worse.

On Nov. 3, I was having a pretty normal day until I received this letter. I was a little confused when I got it, and I wondered what SSU was letting me know. Did I win a scholarship? Was I recommended for an internship? I was almost excited when I ripped the envelope open. Then I saw the actual reason for the letter. Apparently, I was being accused of violating Conduct Code Regulations.

According to the letter, on Oct. 26, at 6:45 p.m., I was accused of these things: "violation of the fire regulations, setting fires and/or attempting to set fires, and violation of Residence Hall License Agreement and related residence hall policies." After reading this, my brain went through the classic stages: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. (Usually these steps are reserved for grief, but I felt these things all the same.)

Obviously, several things ran through my mind when I received this letter. First of all, I wasn't even in Atlantic Hall on Oct. 26 at this time. I was working at the Writing Center, as I usually do on weeknights from 6 to 9 p.m. Second, I don't know what they mean by their accusations. "Violation of fire regulations?" "Setting fires and/or attempting to set fires?" I think they have the wrong person. I'm an Honor student, not a pyromaniac. I guess I'll have to talk to someone about that.

The only problem was the letter said I had to schedule an appointment with the Assistant Resident Director by 5 p.m. on Nov. 3, or else I would be "sanctioned without a hearing." I looked at the clock, and it was 5:01 p.m. As that information sunk in, I felt my stomach drop, but I was also angry. They didn't give me enough time to reply, let alone schedule an appointment. Not only that, but they weren't specific about the violations. This made me even angrier; why couldn't they at least tell me exactly what I did wrong?

I made an appointment with the Assistant RD for Nov. 7 at 4 p.m. (Even though I was technically "late" in making the appointment, I was still able to.) I was expecting a hearing or something scary like that, but it was just a meeting with the Assistant RD himself. He told me what this was about in the course of five minutes.

What happened was this: At 6:45 p.m. on Oct. 26, there was a fire alarm. Since I was not in the building, I did not remember this. Well, during fire alarms the RAs have to check the rooms to make sure they're all empty. Apparently, the RA who checked my room was concerned that there were candles. I almost laughed at this information as they were battery- operated candles and these were allowed in residence halls. After they checked everything out, I was good to go.

Still, I found this whole incident kind of ridiculous. First of all, how could the RA mistake an obviously fake candle for a real one? Second, there were room inspections before the fire drill, while I was here, and those RAs told me that the battery-operated candles were perfectly fine.

Third, why couldn't Residence Life just have explained this in the letter? Why did they have to be so vague? Why did they make me out be some kind of "firebug?" They made me freak out for no reason. This is coming from a person who never got in trouble in her life. I've never been grounded, never got detention, etc. I'm just a quiet honor student who tries her best to get straight as and maintain a 3.9 GPA.