Dorm Window Screens Spur Safety Concern

Security screens for first-floor dorm windows, installed over the summer as part of a new effort to strengthen ground floor security, have raised discussion about efforts to protect the Academy community. In Webster and Wheelwright Dorms and in Williams House, permanent metal reinforcements have replaced the sliding screens that once covered ground floor windows.

According to the head of Campus Safety Services Jeffrey Nelson, the screens are part of a general effort to improve security in dorms, to comply with safety standards. "We are working to improve the security on all first floor windows that afford access from the ground level," Nelson said.

To ensure that dorms are safe in the case of an emergency, the new screens will be installed along dorms’ previously scheduled summer renovations, which are being carried out in accordance with the Life Safety Code set by the National Fire Protection Association, Nelson said. "Safety is always the highest priority in any security improvement project. We looked at each building, fire egress points, and the Life Safety Code to ensure there will be more than adequate fire egress with the new security screens," Nelson said.

The installation of the screens has received mixed reactions by members of the two dorms, who view its necessity and impact with a wide range of opinions.

Science Instructor and Webster affiliate Townley Chisholm believes that although the security is intended to protect students from what would be a "nightmare," the Academy needs to engage its whole community when considering these measures.

"There are real, continuing costs to living in a fortress, costs which are born not by the security experts who install all the lighting, cameras and armored doors and windows, but by the faculty and students who must live with it all," [Mr. Chisholm] said.

"There are real, continuing costs to living in a fortress, costs which are born not by the security experts who install all the lighting, cameras and armored doors and windows, but by the faculty and students who must live with it all," he said. "I believe there needs to be far more collaboration and discussion between the risk management experts and the people who live here."

Faculty member and resident of Williams House, William Glennon believes that the screens are beneficial, serving a dual purpose. "The boys in Will House have not complained as far as I know," he said. "If it allows the breeze to cool the house as well as keep the flies and mosquitos away and intruders out, it is fine by me!"

Upper Kiyomasa Kuwani believes that the measures will disrupt the practice of entering the dorms in an unorthodox manner, by students who forget their keycards. "If you get stuck out of your room, it’s pretty convenient to climb in through the first floor window. And if you get stuck without a keycard, you can climb in through someone’s room and get into the dorm that way."

Despite this, prep Jonathan Wilcox, member of Webster dormitory, says the unmovable windows do not bother him. "My room is on the same floor [as the screens], and I’ve never tried to open the screen. During a fire though, I think we could just run out and escape through the main door, because there’s just no other way," he said.

Nelson believes that the irremovable nature of the screens in no way inhibits the safety of the dorms, as the fact that students can no longer exit from their ground-floor windows was taken into consideration. "Several factors give us confidence the screens will not diminish safety. As mentioned, egress is more than adequate with the screens. Second, our fire drill regiment is designed to prepare students and faculty to exist the dorms safely any time there is a fire alarm activation. Lastly, we are diligent in our overall fire prevention program," Nelson said.

Several students believe that the implementation of reinforced window screens is an unnecessary action given the level of safety they think it will provide. "Safety is an important topic at any school, but I think the metal screens that were chosen are not right for the intended purpose. If an intruder really wants to get in they are going to and a metal screen isn't going to stop them," senior Reed Woolfson Jarvis said.

Several students in these dorms also think that these screens are unnecessary and a waste of the school’s resources, believing that cases of intrusion are uncommon or unheard of within the student population.

"I don’t see why they’re wasting money for this. Currently, no one has snuck in, and we’ve really not had a problem with this," Kuwana said. "Why get more measures to improve on what we’ve already have, which has been working for a long period of time?"

Others believe that, due to the low cost, adding these screens is simply just an added security measure, and is nothing to worry about. "It can't necessarily be using up that many resources." senior Andrew Mejia said.