By Shaun Lucas
Associate News Editor
My brother once described college as a time to grow up and make some mistakes. He discussed how many of his friends, who went on to being successful in the workforce, made rather questionable choices in the midst of having some fun during their undergrad years. As long as you learn from errors, you’ll grow from them, he says.
The mistakes you don’t want to make, however, are ones which may lead to your entire dormitorium collapsing in flames. In the first three weeks of the fall semester, multiple fire evacuations took place in the residence halls.
While some have been due to bizarre circumstances, such a rocket in the shower, many of these evacuations have been from the smoke alarms being set off by one kitchen appliance: the microwave.
Interesting to note is the MU housing agreement states specific requirements for a microwave within dorms. Regulating size and voltage ensures the ovens aren’t fire hazards.
Yet, like my other brother who once cut himself with “safety” scissors, people always find new ways to botch everyday tasks.
While I will not name names, there’s been a trend with MU students cooking their microwavable noodle packages without water. Of course, this leads to the noodles burning and causing eruptions of smoke, leading to the fire alarms to force residents outside.
These people made it to college, particularly MU, so they must be intelligent. I assume in while trying to prepare a quick dinner to eat alongside an essay due the next day, they simply forgot to add water to the container. Mistakes happen, and I’m sure all readers have once done something they regret due to negligence.
When preparing a fine dish of macaroni and cheese, just be sure to monitor it to an extent. Don’t microwave food while outside the dorm, in the shower, or even dosing off on your bed. In addition, despite being designed as “quick meals,” allow yourself enough time in your schedule to properly follow the directions of cooking…such as adding water with the noodles. Just make sure 2019 isn’t the year where all dorm microwaves are banned at MU.
