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Some schools supply microwaves and other small appliances for students in dorms

Tuesday, February 26, 2002

By Gretchen McKay

Twenty years ago, about the only things a college student in a dorm could do when struck with a case of munchies was visit the lobby vending machine, order a pizza or, if the school's fire code allowed, use a hot plate to whip up a package of instant Ramen noodles.

How times have changed.

	Some easy recipes

Today, along with providing high-speed Internet access and cable TV, some campus residence halls are outfitting dorm rooms with cooking appliances as well.

Penn State, for instance, is among a growing number of colleges and universities that provide a MicroFridge, a combination microwave/refrigerator/freezer, in each residence hall room along with a bed, desk and smoke detector.

So many students were bringing unapproved microwaves from home into the dorms, said Sandra Harpster, assistant director of housing and food services, that the university decided about 10 years ago simply to supply them. That way, fire-conscious administrators would not only know the ovens' wattage but know they were operating properly.

"Most students in the halls have been raised in homes with microwaves and know how to use them, so it's worked out very well," said Harpster. And because power to the refrigerator/freezer is automatically cut off whenever the microwave is in use, officials don't have to worry about the single-plug MicroFridge overloading a circuit.

That said, for health and safety reasons, Penn State -- like most schools -- doesn't really permit extensive cooking in dorm rooms. The microwaves are meant just for quick snacks like popcorn or instant oatmeal or thawing out frozen dinners.

As Paula Olivero, director of housing and residence education at Slippery Rock University, puts it, "We want students to be able to have a snack, but if they're preparing a nine-course meal in their rooms, that's cause for concern."

So what's permissible when it comes to cooking appliances? In a nutshell, not too much.

While microwaves are generally legal, most schools prohibit cooking items with exposed heating elements. That means no toaster ovens, toasters, hot pots, hotplates or appliances with open flames, such as fondue pots and butane-fired grills. Ditto on small immersion heaters, used for warming up a cup of water, and fold-over sandwich makers and toasters.

Just got one of those oh-so-trendy George Foreman "lean, mean, fat-busting" Grills? Sorry, but you'D better leave it at home with any griddles, electric skillets and old-fashioned popcorn poppers that cook the kernels in hot oil.

Another common denominator: All appliances must be UL approved and feature automatic shut-off buttons.

"Students have very busy lives, and sometimes they walk down the hall or out of the building and forget to turn things off," said Olivero.

Such concerns are well founded. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, about 1,300 fires break out in high school, prep school and university dormitories each year, causing $4.1 million in property damage and an average of 50 injuries and one to five deaths. And cooking is the second-leading cause for fires in dorms, after arson.

To discourage would-be chefs from sneaking prohibited appliances into their dorm rooms, many schools provide students with a cooking lounge or common kitchen equipped with full-size ovens and burners.

In addition, microwaves and refrigerators are generally legal in dorms, though some schools regulate the size. At Slippery Rock, for instance, refrigerators must measure less than 4 cubic feet while microwaves cannot draw more than 8 amps of current. Carnegie Mellon University forbids any appliance in a student room that requires more than 600 watts of power.

Coffee makers are typically permitted, as long as they shut off automatically.

Because the rules vary from school to school, most colleges provides students with a checklist of permitted appliances before they arrive on campus. They also post any regulations on cooking in residence halls on the school Web site. But students have been known to circumvent the rules, either intentionally or unintentionally, so officials keep their eyes peeled when kids are moving into the dorms. Most schools also conduct regular health and safety checks of dorm rooms.

Slippery Rock, for instance, inspects rooms once a month, while Penn State does it once a semester.

In addition to evaluating the room's overall condition, officials look for anything that could spark a fire or pose a safety hazard, including unapproved appliances. The inspections are limited to what's actually sitting out in the open, and students must be notified in advance and are allowed to be present.

Still, if the school has reason to believe a student might be hiding something illegal -- say a resident assistant gets a whiff of a grilled steak from under the door -- a student can be asked to open a closet or drawer for inspection.

"It's not to make their lives miserable but for the safety of students," said Olivero.

She noted the fire two years ago that raged through a dormitory at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J., killing three students and injuring 62.

"It only takes a minute for a fire to take hold," she said.