In response to last semester’s string of thefts in the dorms, all former exits from dorm buildings no longer considered acceptable have been labeled with signs stating that an alarm will sound if opened. However, no such alarm actually exists. Some students have continued to regularly use these exits, disregarding the sign, knowing they’re no different from other doors other than their signage.

The state of the doors not being armed with alarms and simultaneously remaining unavailable for student use is unacceptable. If the doors had alarms, no students would use them, which would cause anyone who willfully walks out of a door with an alarm sounding to appear very suspicious to any passerby. This would significantly deter potential thieves, especially after it would become a well-known fact among potential thieves that an alarm will actually sound at those exits, making the student dorms much less appealing targets.

These signs offer little additional protection to the belongings of the residential students, particularly after frequent vandalization out of distaste for their false claims. They also unfairly, and almost futilely, inconvenience students living far from the official doors who choose to obey the signs. Therefore, if it isn’t reasonable to install alarms on these doors, they should be officially returned to use by the students. Security of possessions is important, but this current solution doesn’t adequately protects possessions and is unacceptably troublesome to the very residents it exists to defend for the limited protection it offers.