The Daily Tar Heel
Printing news. Raising hell. Since 1893.
Thursday, March 28, 2024 Newsletters Latest print issue

We keep you informed.

Help us keep going. Donate Today.
The Daily Tar Heel

Dorm beds to get new rails

Housing Dept. must ?nd funds

University officials are trying to figure out how to outfit every bed on campus with a safety rail.

They’re working in response to increased requests from students that began before school started and increased after a woman fell from a lofted bed and died.

“The ultimate goal is that every bed will come with bed rails, like they come with the stabilizing bars,” said Larry Hicks, director of the department of housing and residential education.

Right now, the housing department is buying more rails and borrowing some from other universities to meet student demand. Eventually they hope to outfit all 8,500 beds on campus.

Last week 200 bed rails were delivered and 40 more were borrowed from N.C. State University. An order for an additional 800 bed rails is currently being processed.

A transfer student’s mother died the weekend before classes began after falling from her daughter’s lofted bed in Kenan Residence Hall.

Since the accident was reported, more students are voicing concerns about the safety of lofted beds.

“I was scared at the beginning of the year. I used a pillow by the wall and just made sure I always had it there,” said sophomore Erin McGrath, who lofted her bed last year but chose to lower it this year.

The housing department sent an e-mail to all on-campus residents last week to inform them 200 bed rails were available upon request.

Rick Bradley, assistant director of housing, said there were nearly 60 requests before the accident was reported. Usually about 30 requests are received.

“We thought it was because the model room had a bed rail,” he said.

Both Bradley and Hicks said increased discussion of bed safety after the Daily Tar Heel’s Sept. 3 report of the death is another cause for the increase in demand.

Hicks said that in addition to consultation with other UNC-system schools, officials are discussing whether policy changes — such as requiring students with beds lofted above a certain height to use bed rails — will be necessary.

And the University still must figure out how to pay for it all. Each rail costs $30, for a total of about $255,000.

“Not that we would ever put a price on safety, but we have to figure out how we’re going to do this,” Hicks said, “What we want to do is accommodate the students and their safety needs.”

To get the day's news and headlines in your inbox each morning, sign up for our email newsletters.

Special Print Edition
The Daily Tar Heel's Collaborative Mental Health Edition