Roadman resident cringe when they hear the words ‘fire-alarm’. For as long as any current students can remember, Roadman Hall’s fire alarms go off frequently, usually forcing students out of bed at late hours of the night. So far in this school year alone, it has gone off 4 times, the last one Tuesday, October 3, at around 12:30 in the morning. Students went outside, complaining about the alarm waking them, thankful that it wasn’t raining outside or 20 below, knowing from past years’ experience that it can and will get worse.

The days after are always filled with rumors and speculations as to what set it off this time, reasons include things from hair spray or dry shampoo in a dorm room too close to the smoke detector, a humidifier pumping out so much mist it looked like a wall when the student’s door was opened, students vaping or smoking in their rooms, or just plain stupidity by letting things like ramen and popcorn burn in the microwave.

Obviously, the constant false alarms are annoying to students, it interrupts sleep and can put them out in the cold while they wait for the fire department. Isaiah Hinters, a senior who has lived in Roadman his entire time at Morningside, said “It has always been a problem, I have been woken up from naps twice recently because of the fire alarms”. The thing that makes this a real issue is that many students say that they don’t leave when the fire alarms go off, even though there are fines if you are found out. “We pound on doors to make sure everyone’s awake, but there is only so much we can do to get people to leave the building” said Elana Krutsinger, a sophomore RA in Roadman.

As it gets colder outside and as more and more false alarms go off, fewer and fewer students will leave the building. Statistically, there eventually will be a REAL fire in roadman. It could be late at night, in the middle of January right after a huge snowstorm. Roadman residents either won’t wake up to the alarm or will say they didn’t. Students will not get out of the burning building, thinking it is another fake. Students could get seriously hurt, or even die. It is a classic ‘boy who called wolf’ situation that will end in tragedy, and probably a huge lawsuit for the school.