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Maybe this hasn't got much to do with football, but a $250 fine is a bit much to have a study lamp in your room. It was a high school graduation present from his grandparents. Something about the bulb being halogen.

Donnie tried to appeal, but was told that there were so many other people fined, that he couldn't appeal.

To me, if that many people were fined, then maybe that many didn't know about that rule, either. More reason to grant an appeal.

Is SMU hurting that bad for money?

Wow, that's shameful.
You'd think they have bigger things to worry about, huh?

PPP-

I'm not a parent so I will ask for your viewpoint on this. Now, I know better than most how ridiculous the fines were for things in the dorm, since my freshman floor racked up the highest fines ever in the history of SMU. (So I heard)

But with regards to the lamp...could it be that that bulb is considered more flammable than a regular bulb, thus increasing the chances of a potentially deadly fire? I know candles and things like that are not allowed for that reason. And if there wasn't some type of fine, then the students would just ignore the rule. I don't think the fines have anything to do with SMU monetary situation or lack thereof. But perhaps that was just some sarcasm there.

I got fined for "broadcasting" once.

I guess broadcasting is when you have the stereo turned up too loud AND you have the windows open... Seriously, it happened.

On the halogen lamp issue, sure seems like the reasonable thing to do is to inspect rooms for violations and issue a warning first.

at the begining of the year, they have these packets they hand out when you are checking in and tell you to read over them. that's where you find what's allowed and what's not allowed. they also go over it when they have hall meetings a little after school starts. fines used to go something like this : 1st strike was a warning, I think 2nd strike was $50, and increased to $100 and up after that point. But they changed it to a $250 minimum last year. My freshman year, my roommate and I had a violation, but they just took your stuff and gave you a warning then.

If he had known about the rule, and still had the lamp, then he should have no exscuses. But what's so maddening, is that nobody knew the rule. Maybe ignorance is no exscuse,but noone can find it listed, or remembers being told they couldnt have those lamps in the dorm.A desk lamp isnt something you would automatically think you shouldn't have, unless it was made known to you. Between 400 and 500 students got fined for these lamps. Thats what we were told. Out of that many people, some would have known about it, had it been noted somewhere, or brought up. That many people couldnt have just forgotten about it.

Good points. Ask your son to produce that thick pamphlet he received when he moved in and see if it mentions the item you were fined for. If not, raise hell with the Residence Life Office. They really don't respond to students as much as angry parents, for obvious reasons. However, I'm willing to bet it's mentioned as a forbidden item along with candles, lava lamps, etc. Plus those RA's have numerous floor meetings where they go over this stuff ad nauseum. And finally, if that many people had been written up, surely he might have had an inkling that he should put the lamp away if 500 other people got written up for it. I was 18 not too long ago and I know I would rather plead ignorant to my angry mom then admit I knew that the lamp was not allowed.

I got fined for the lamp as well. It only applies to halgoen lamps. I just didn't realize they made halogen desk lamps. They also fine us for having 2 refrigerators in a room. At the end of the year, we're fined 20 bucks for each tack hole. These inspections are simply a moneymaker for the university. It's rather difficult for people that do not come from well-off backgrounds such as me. Oh well

I was sleeping when the inspectors came in. What's ridiculous is that they tell you that they will be inspecting all week, but not what day. They follow up 2-3 weeks later with no warning, checking random rooms. My roommate is allowed to have a lava lamp b/c it doesn't have a halogen bulb, but I can't keep my desk lamp I didn't even buy (given as a gift). Seems like a warning would make sense, but I guess the administration thinks most of their students' parents won't mind shelling out 250 bucks on a whim.

I have to weigh in as a former student:

Dude! $250? That sucks!

And as an (adult) and good friend of several RAs: <hardass hat on>

Hey, look. They went over it in the hall meetings. (Which you probably didn't go to even though they are posted all over the place and are called mandatory for a reason.) It is in your information pack at the beginning of the year. You signed this thing and supposedly read it as well. (This applies to the refrigerator thing too. Did you know that there is also a maximum size that your 'fridge can be? Look it up.) Ysvk holes in the wall? patch them up before you checkout! That's also why they say to only use tape or stickytac on the walls.

You can get any of these materials at the RLSH office in Boaz hall.

While $250 might seem excessive it apparently gets the point across. Sorry about that. If you had complied with the posted rules it wouldn't have been an issue.

<hardass hat off>

I guess, but why have mandatory meetings that at the beginning of the year? Why not wait a few weeks? THere is so much going on at the beginning of the year, everyone is just getting settled in. That wasn't my problem anyway. I was just stupid in not knowing that I had a halogen lamp. I got it free, I really didn't know. Anyway, I found a great picture of Stansbury on PhotoReflect.

<A HREF="http://www.photoreflect.com/scripts/prsm.dll?eventorder?photo=03PA0009000093&start=0&album=0&adjust=-1" TARGET=_blank>http://www.photoreflect.com/scripts/prsm.dll?eventorder?photo=03PA0009000093&start=0&album=0&adjust=-1</A>

SOmeone should get him a poster of it lol.

I lived in Boaz last year and had a halogen lamp. My roommate had a large stand-up lamp in the corner (wasn't halogen) and they took that, too. But we didn't get any fines ... I knew I wasn't supposed to have a halogen lamp but just forgot to put it in my drawer the night of inspection.

They even inspect our houses, I had to hide all of my extension chords and halogen lamps again this year. $250 fine?? Dang!

I think last fall, when I was in Boaz ... the damage was well over $10,000 or something like that 3/4 through the semester haha.