I cannot agree more with last week’s opinion by Kyle McGowan.

Seriously enough is enough with these fire drills. I have been at this university for three years now and I can tell you some stories about fire drills. But, since this is only a short, sweet column, one story will have to do.

A couple of days ago, I was in the Ellington basement doing my laundry in my all too attractive, I don’t have anything else to wear because it's all dirty, laundry washing clothes.

You all know what I am talking about. The nastiest, oldest, and, let’s not forget to mention, mismatched clothes in your closet. My laundry clothes just happen to be a ratty old T-shirt and pajama pants that have seen better days.

I don’t wear shoes when I do laundry but I always wear socks even when I go to bed. My feet get cold easily. Anyway, I’m doing my laundry and the fire alarm goes off.

Great!!!! I think. I did not have time to go get any shoes, and spent at least fifteen minutes, maybe longer, shivering in the fourteen degree weather outside. My feet got so cold that they burned for twenty minutes when I finally got to go inside.

Now I pose this question: Why does it take so long to conduct a fire drill? We were all shivering and complaining outside, and it seemed as though the RA’s were taking their sweet time checking all the rooms.

I understand the need to be thorough, but good grief, we are college students like Kyle said and I think that we are old enough to know what to do in an emergency situation.

I also know that Ellington has less fire drills than McCord does, and I sympathize with everyone who lives over there.

But, the fact remains, we do have to put up with the stupid fire drills too, and they do occur at the most inopportune times. I’m not sure what we can do remedy the problem with fire drills, but something has to be done.

At least it is good to know that others share my frustration.

Nicole Iddings is a senior communications major from Dickson.