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Volume CXVIII, No. XXIII |
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SBS looks to change campus grill policy
The Record
The St. Ben's Senate is discussing changes to the grill policy on campus.
They will vote on a new proposal next semester.
The current policy, designed to reduce the risk of fires in residence halls, prohibits the possession of any non-electric cooking device inside or outside any on-campus residence hall, including upperclassmen apartments. Students at St. John's are allowed to have grills on campus.
St. Ben's Senator Amy Canfield, who initially proposed the resolution, has compared the current policy to a modern form of sexism.
"We are still being governed by the same patriarchal system that has governed women for centuries," Canfield said at the Nov. 30 meeting.
She said her concern arises from differences in the SJU policy, which permits the possession of grills at upperclass residences as long as they are not stored on decks or balconies.
But St. John's Fire Chief Jay Bohan pointed out that the SJU policy does not allow for complete freedom with cooking equipment.
"The fire code states that you cannot store lighter fluid or any flammable liquid in any residence halls or dorms," Bohan said.
The CSB security office could not be reached for comment regarding its current policy.
But, Tessa King, a CSB resident assistant, said she sees both sides.
"I would understand the safety concerns, but at the same time, if people want grills that much, they should at least try to change the policy," King said.
According to the National Fire Incident Reporting System and the National Fire Prevention Agency, "cooking equipment" was the leading cause of fires in university residences from 1999 to 2001, accounting for 41.1 percent of all reported incidents.
But Canfield said she has heard this argument many times.
"They say that Flynntown is fireproof," Canfield said. "But the houses in Flynntown are made out of wood. The upperclass apartments at CSB are made mostly of concrete, yet we're not allowed to have grills."
The St. Joseph Fire Department has raised no objection to her proposed change, Canfield said, and the prohibition of charcoal and gasoline-powered cooking equipment is simply a matter of written policy on campus.
Canfield also said she has the support of the student body.
"I've heard complaints from a lot of students regarding this policy," she said. "If anything, allowing students to have grills outside will keep them from hiding grills inside, which is a bigger fire hazard."
The senate plans to vote on this issue at the beginning of next semester.
