Vandalism has cost the university up to $350 this semester to replace emergency exit signs.
Five exit signs in Oklahoma United Methodist Hall were damaged this semester. Facilities staff fixed each sign immediately. No cameras show the vandalism, so no student was caught or punished.
“If the exit signs aren’t functioning properly and an inspector comes, we could get a building code violation,” said Kevin Culbertson, coordinator of housing operations. “By forcing facilities to fix the signs instead of other housing requests, they are only hurting themselves and delaying their own work orders.”
The vandalism is potentially dangerous. If the building loses power, only functional signs will provide emergency lights. Some signs were pulled out of place enough to expose hazardous wires or break ceiling brackets, causing metal or ceiling tiles to fall to the ground.
“When one of the exit lights was damaged, it actually shorted and showered sparks,” said Tim Rhodes, facilities staff member.
“Sometimes students just knock the faceplate off, as a souvenir or something. That’s not extremely dangerous, but we still have to replace the light.”
In the eight and a half years of his OCU employment, about 200 exit signs have been replaced, Rhodes said. Of those, 60 were completely removed and destroyed.
Each sign costs $30-$35, depending on the type of sign and battery pack. With the cost of an hour of labor added, each sign cost $60-$70 after installation. If brackets or ceiling tiles are damaged, carpenters must get involved further raising the cost.
“Last year, we didn’t have this issue. The year before, we did, and it’s cycling back I guess,” Culbertson said. “It’s such a nuisance. What is their fetish with these exit signs?”
Residence life staff expressed annoyance as well.
“Housing gets a bad rep, but we really do everything we can to make this a good place to live,” said Alex Sutherland, Oklahoma United Methodist Hall resident assistant. “Don’t ruin it for everyone else. It’s not cool when people intentionally damage things and blame it on us.”
One Methodist Hall resident said he wants housing staff to catch the culprits.
“I honestly have trouble finding the exits when they’re down,” said Jordan Dorsey, acting freshman. “These dirty bandits need to be reprimanded.”
Students caught vandalizing will be reported and forced to pay for the damage caused.
Large scale damage to exit signs is occurring only in Methodist Hall.
“The damage hurts more than just a sign,” Culbertson said. “Students are only endangering themselves and causing trouble for the university.”
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