When I was in fourth grade, students regularly had their prized "slap bracelets" taken away from them in the middle of class.

"You can have it back at the end of the year," my teacher would bark as she stashed bracelet after bracelet away in the depths of her desk.

I remember feeling a child's sense of injustice over the incidents--even though I now realize that she was only looking out for our safety and her own sanity. Yet, when I returned to Harvard last week from spring break and heard about the search and seizure that had begun to take place in the first-year dorms, I couldn't help but be reminded of my elementary school years, feeling that same sense of powerlessness. It just didn't seem fair.

Now, no Harvard student is looking to die in a fiery blaze, but this eleven-day inspection for items deemed to be fire hazards did nothing to enhance respect for the authority of the Freshmen Dean's Office (FDO). Nor did it provide any kind of long-term fix for the fire hazard problem.

The intentions were good. I fully realize that Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth Studley Nathans did not order the inspection because she was looking to increase her personal supply of coffee makers. I believe that she truly is concerned for the safety of her students and felt that she did what she had to do.

But it didn't have to happen this way.

Students are upset. We feel violated. And it's not simply because some people got caught. Sure, everyone knew the rules. And I see the rationale behind denying us advance notice--most people would have just hidden their stuff.

But Harvard Yard Operations did not tell students what they took. There were no notes posted listing what items were confiscated and why they were deemed hazardous. There was no official announcement given to all first-years upon our return saying items could be redeemed at the end of the year.