We came back to our College homes and were left to figure out for ourselves if anything was missing.

Maybe the FDO deems this search a success because they feel they finally were able to catch the students off-guard and therefore really get to the heart of the fire hazard problem by removing as many items as possible.

Well, congratulations, but it's only a short-term solution. It didn't fix the problem because there is little remorse among the first-year class.

"I only wish I'd hidden it better," students lament as they complain about having to shell out more money to buy a new appliance. "Next time, I'll be more careful."

One of the reasons that students don't respect the fire hazard regulations in the first place is because they don't fully understand the rationale behind banning certain items. If the problem was severe enough that Dean Nathans felt she needed to order a full-out confiscation, then she is probably able to provide a pretty good argument as to why students shouldn't be allowed to have these items in dorm rooms.

But there was no dialogue, no chance for students and administrators to try to come to some sort of understanding on the issue.

I'm glad that my fourth grade teacher wanted me to be safe. I'm glad that the College wants to protect me as well. But we're not little kids anymore. Maybe back in fourth grade I couldn't properly debate the hazards of slap bracelets and teachers were justified in confiscating them for the students' own good. But we're supposed to be adults now in the eyes of the University. We should be able to enter into an intelligent discussion of the fire safety issue.