Here's an idea that we're not falling for: UB has decided to add guard rails to all lofted beds in the residence halls due to an unusually high number of incidents involving students injured while rolling in their sleep or when dismounting the bunks.
Four incident reports have been filed since the start of the school year, and UB intends to order 600 railings for 300 beds - one for each side of the bed - to ensure students will not topple from the lofts. The railings are projected to cost up to $40,000, but The Spectrum feels that four incident reports do not necessitate UB spending an unnecessary amount of money on such a nominal safety concern.
Lofting a bed is a decision, and if a student feels uncomfortable with the added height, he or she can choose to keep the bed on the ground. If students feel they may trip while walking up the stairs, they can take the elevator. These railings should be an option. Spending $40,000 on something that could possibly happen steps over the lines of precautionary into the realm of absurd.
The Spectrum is in no way against safety, but feels the crib-like railings will not prevent all loft-related injuries, since they only help in preventing injury while sleeping. According to an article in The Buffalo News, one of the bunk incidents involved a student who injured herself using a desk as a step to dismount from bed. Clearly, some students are not injuring themselves from a restless night, but from clumsiness and from a lack of secure ways of getting in and out of bed.
Another solution would be to provide a better ladder system. The new wooden beds in the dorms have steps on the end supports that can be used for ladders. However, many students tend to not use these implied steps since most have a desk or other piece of furniture propped up in front of the sides of the bed in order to best utilize the less than spacious dorm room area. Many students - some members of our editorial board included - simply leap down from a lofted bed, posing more danger than an unconscious tumble.
UB should review all the factors leading up to these incidents and others on campus before haphazardly spending university funds.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
