By Amanda Smith\/\/<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hood College reactivated the emergency exit alarm system in the residence halls over spring break.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If these exits are used in instances of non-emergencies, an alarm will go off and the individual will be identified through the use of surveillance cameras. Once identified, the individual will then be required to pay a fine of up to $250.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Thurmond Maynard, director and chief of campus safety, the emergency exit alarm system in the residence halls was taken offline during COVID to minimize safety risks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhen COVID hit, we wanted to make sure that students had many different ways to exit the building,\u201d Maynard said. \u201cThe goal was to try to maximize the distance between people so that everyone wasn\u2019t going out the same way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, the school had started running into issues with people propping these doors open, which posed a risk to campus safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve been finding, especially this semester, more and more doors propped open with anything and everything: rocks, wedges, papers,\u201d Maynard said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, students had begun using the doors out of convenience too frequently. \u201cPeople didn\u2019t want to walk all the way back around to certain entrances, some doors were closer to parking lots,\u201d Maynard said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Maynard, emergency exits should only be used in instances where something significantly dangerous is happening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf there\u2019s a fire, if the building is being evacuated, if somebody is injured and they need to get out of the building as fast as possible, that\u2019s what we\u2019re defining as an emergency,\u201d Maynard said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Furthermore, developing stricter policies on when these exits can be used will protect the campus from suspicious intruders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt\u2019s an open campus, I always think about when it gets cold outside, maybe there\u2019s people looking for a warm space,\u201d Maynard said. \u201cWe don\u2019t want to give them any access to open areas, especially where our residents live. We just don\u2019t want anybody startled by people that they don\u2019t recognize.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI\u2019ve seen many students use the emergency doors for non-emergency purposes,\u201d said Gabbi Ntali, a sophomore at Hood College. \u201cI would say with this new addition of blocking the emergency doors and using them strictly for emergencies is great because they get to retain their actual purpose and I feel like it makes the campus more safe overall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t want suspicious people walking in off the street,\u201d Maynard said. \u201cWe want everybody to do their part to keep themselves and all of their neighbors safe.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"