By Cole Johnson
Staff Writer
Is it fair to charge a student $25 for the police to come open his or her door? I have several people of there thoughts on the issue, and I discovered from my questions that four out of five people of those unscientifically surveyed thought this was a fair rule, given that we’re college students now and need to act like responsible adults. However, the fifth person took a more defensive tactic by saying, “no, that’s just silly.” I find that the people who believe the charge unfair are the irresponsible people who tend to leave their keys in various places, (none of which are their pockets.) One could think if the four that agreed with the new policy would change their answer if they were in the position of having to pay the charge. Say that I have had a horrible day from start to finish. I wouldn’t think this day could get any worse until I go to enter my room and the door is locked with my keys inside, and my roommate is out of town for a week while my suite mates are in class. This would make for a very aggravating call to the police department to get into my room for the charge of $25. However, I should have at the very beginning of my day put my keys out where I would not forget them. Just because someone has a lot going on doesn’t mean they’re excused from being held to the same standard as everyone else. On the other hand, why would a person ever have to call the PD to get into their room? You have several resources to get into your room for free such as roommates, suite mates, or even a lockpick method if you’re adept in the skill. So not only is there no reason for the problem in the first place, if the problem does occur, there are multiple ways to avoid a charge. Additionally, I believe the amount of the charge is substantial enough to discourage leaving your keys behind. The police deputies are not here in Sewanee to babysit college kids, but to enforce the law while keeping civilians safe. I believe that if a college student locks themselves out and are not able to find an alternative other than the police department, then the police department should have a penalty for both their peace of mind and to hopefully teach the student some responsibility.