Institutional Action

[feather125]

Hi all!!

So I’m having a small problem at my university. Its not official that I have been sanctioned but its likely that I will be, with at least a warning.

The institutional action is that in my dorm room we had a toaster and something ubstructing a fire alarm. The toaster was in fact mine but I was not responsible for covering the fire alarm.

However, apparently tampering with a fire alarm is a felony offence and although the roommate responsible has owned up to it there is discussion that everyone in the room is responsible because we did not turn her in or correct the situation.

I see now that was my error and I should have spoken up. But I’m applying for an md/phd this year and have otherwise impeccable stats (1000+ hrs research, 300+ hrs volunteering, 3.87 gpa with a double major, and many leadership roles).

I want to know how seriously this will be taken by adcom comittees and how I should address it in my application.

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[BigBoss]

If you do get an IA, then state the truth and the reasoning behind it. Adcoms are understanding of small offenses like this. On the other hand, you should try to avoid having the IA on your transcript if possible.


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[Catalystik]

So I’m having a small problem at my university. Its not official that I have been sanctioned but its likely that I will be, with at least a warning.

The institutional action is that in my dorm room we had a toaster and something ubstructing a fire alarm. The toaster was in fact mine but I was not responsible for covering the fire alarm.

However, apparently tampering with a fire alarm is a felony offence and although the roommate responsible has owned up to it there is discussion that everyone in the room is responsible because we did not turn her in or correct the situation.

I see now that was my error and I should have spoken up. But I’m applying for an md/phd this year and have otherwise impeccable stats (1000+ hrs research, 300+ hrs volunteering, 3.87 gpa with a double major, and many leadership roles).

I want to know how seriously this will be taken by adcom comittees and how I should address it in my application.

First, find out if the sanction is official and whether it's an IA or a warning. If your roommate has acknowledged responsibility, a) you may not have an IA on your record, and b) if you do, your explanation will be very different than if she had not done so. Hopefully you will receive or can ask for an official letter of determination once the investigation is complete, so you know exactly where you stand and what you need to explain, if anything.

From Page 19 of the AMCAS Application Guide:

If you become the subject of an institutional action after certifying and submitting the AMCAS application, you must inform your designated medical school(s) within 10 business days of the date of the occurrence.

 

[LizzyM]

My interpretation would be that "tampering" with a fire alarm means doing something to the fire alarm. Merely blocking or obstructing the fire alarm box with an item is not the same thing. Now, if you unplugged a smoke alarm or removed the batteries, that might be tampering. However, you might need to determine if a fire alarm and a smoke alarm are the same thing with respect to that law. So don't get ahead of yourself. Being charged with a felony means that you have to be arrested and charged with a crime or that a grand jury has met and voted to indict you.


Go back and read @Catalystik That's the most sound advice you are going to get.

 

[Catalystik]

My interpretation would be that "tampering" with a fire alarm means doing something to the fire alarm. Merely blocking or obstructing the fire alarm box with an item is not the same thing. Now, if you unplugged a smoke alarm or removed the batteries, that might be tampering. However, you might need to determine if a fire alarm and a smoke alarm are the same thing with respect to that law.

Here is the law in my state. I have bolded the portions relevant to this discussion. Removing the batteries would be "tampering." There is no suggestion that "blocking" a device is tampering, but of course, state laws may vary:

Tampering with a security, fire, or life safety system.
(a) A person commits tampering with a security, fire, or life safety system when he or she knowingly damages, sabotages, destroys, or causes a permanent or temporary malfunction in any physical or electronic security, fire, or life safety system or any component part of any of those systems including, but not limited to, card readers, magnetic stripe readers, Wiegand card readers, smart card readers, proximity card readers, digital keypads, keypad access controls, digital locks, electromagnetic locks, electric strikes, electronic exit hardware, exit alarm systems, delayed egress systems, biometric access control equipment, intrusion detection systems and sensors, burglar alarm systems, wireless burglar alarms, silent alarms, duress alarms, hold-up alarms, glass break detectors, motion detectors, seismic detectors, glass shock sensors, magnetic contacts, closed circuit television (CCTV), security cameras, digital cameras, dome cameras, covert cameras, spy cameras, hidden cameras, wireless cameras, network cameras, IP addressable cameras, CCTV camera lenses, video cassette recorders, CCTV monitors, CCTV consoles, CCTV housings and enclosures, CCTV pan-and-tilt devices, CCTV transmission and signal equipment, wireless video transmitters, wireless video receivers, radio frequency (RF) or microwave components, or both, infrared illuminators, video motion detectors, video recorders, time lapse CCTV recorders, digital video recorders (DVRs), digital image storage systems, video converters, video distribution amplifiers, video time-date generators, multiplexers, switchers, splitters, fire alarms, smoke alarm systems, smoke detectors, flame detectors, fire detection systems and sensors, fire sprinklers, fire suppression systems, fire extinguishing systems, public address systems, intercoms, emergency telephones, emergency call boxes, emergency pull stations, telephone entry systems, video entry equipment, annunciators, sirens, lights, sounders, control panels and components, and all associated computer hardware, computer software, control panels, wires, cables, connectors, electromechanical components, electronic modules, fiber optics, filters, passive components, and power sources including batteries and back-up power supplies.
(b) Sentence. A violation of this Section is a Class 4 felony.

 

[raf1ki]

It's pretty astonishing that taking the batteries out of a smoke detector is a felony. That's a pretty life changing offense for something that some people wouldn't think twice about doing at home (say, if smoke is pouring out of the oven because you ruined dinner).

 

[CharmCity94]

It's pretty astonishing that taking the batteries out of a smoke detector is a felony. That's a pretty life changing offense for something that some people wouldn't think twice about doing at home (say, if smoke is pouring out of the oven because you ruined dinner).

Yeah I had no idea... that is wild. Freshman year, my roommates and I unplugged a smoke detector that wouldn't stop beeping every minute, even after changing batteries.

 

[LizzyM]

The point is, it is a felony but if you aren't charged with doing it, you aren't going to be found guilty of a felony. It is likely that this law is there to prosecute and punish people who disconnect a smoke detector which then results in property loss, injury and even death due to a fire. The idea would be that someone should be punished in the criminal justice system for thrwarting the early warning system that could have prevented or limited the damage done by the fire. Such a law is the way that gets done.

 

[Goro]

Hi all!!

So I’m having a small problem at my university. Its not official that I have been sanctioned but its likely that I will be, with at least a warning.

The institutional action is that in my dorm room we had a toaster and something ubstructing a fire alarm. The toaster was in fact mine but I was not responsible for covering the fire alarm.

However, apparently tampering with a fire alarm is a felony offence and although the roommate responsible has owned up to it there is discussion that everyone in the room is responsible because we did not turn her in or correct the situation.

I see now that was my error and I should have spoken up. But I’m applying for an md/phd this year and have otherwise impeccable stats (1000+ hrs research, 300+ hrs volunteering, 3.87 gpa with a double major, and many leadership roles).

I want to know how seriously this will be taken by adcom comittees and how I should address it in my application.

This minor. Just explain and own it

 

[TelemarketingEnigma]

It's pretty astonishing that taking the batteries out of a smoke detector is a felony. That's a pretty life changing offense for something that some people wouldn't think twice about doing at home (say, if smoke is pouring out of the oven because you ruined dinner).

While I think OP will be fine (and I definitely don't think they should be charged with a felony), I just want to clarify that the reason tampering with a smoke detector is a taken so seriously is that fire safety regulations save lives, even if they seem trivial. While a felony would be life changing, so would an actual fire, particularly in a dorm style building where hundreds of other people might be hurt or killed. Colleges in particular take fire safety very seriously because there have been some notable fires on college campuses that resulted in the deaths of students (the Boland Hall Fire at Seton Hall being one example).

 

[LizzyM]

for someone who supposedly is working towards a career to save life and is smart enough to do so, obviously understands the impact of removing batteries from smoke alarm, therefore was indifferent to the impact of taking them out.
If I saw this as a IA, I would reject almost immediately.

If you were a medical school administrator, would you expell from medical school a medical student in student housing who had a toaster oven and a roommate who removed batteries from a smoke detector?

I do believe that this is a serious matter with potential for great harm but I think that throwing a student (or promising applicant) out in the street for such a transgression is harsh.

 

[feather125]

Just as an update to this; I didn't get in trouble at all. Since I was not responsible for covering the fire alarm and really didnt notice it was covered (why would I look at the ceiling in the bathroom?) and the toaster was unplugged I didn't even get a warning. There was no institutional action at all (been verified). But my roommate got in a lot of trouble.