A staple of dormitory life – the loft – is taking on new dimensions after some scrutiny.

Once virtually unregulated, lofts could become elaborate creations: platforms housing couches as well as beds, frames hung from ceilings or embellished according to the owner’s fancy, sometimes with jarring results.

Sally Deters, resident life coordinator, said student complaints and accidents involving lofts alerted university departments, including risk management, environmental health and safety and legal services to potential safety issues.

“All three of those areas recommended that we do something different,” she said.

In response, the Department of Residence reinforced the previous loft policy. The changes were made last year, with the policy in place for the fall 2002 semester.

Currently, lofts must be at least 36 inches below the ceiling, be freestanding and have a ladder and bed rail. Residents using a loft must also sign a waiver accepting liability for any lofts they build themselves or for any modifications made to lofts that do not conform to regulations.

“We’re trying to be much more careful,” said Kate Bruns, communications specialist for the residence department. “I haven’t heard of anyone falling out so far.”

Enforcing the policy in the dormitories as students returned from summer break sparked mixed feelings.

“It sucks,” said Ryan Turner, junior in marketing. “If you’re dumb enough to fall out and hurt yourself, you deserve it.”

Others approve of the policy.

“I like this a lot better,” said Kayla Miller, sophomore in meteorology.

Miller outfitted her fourth floor Larch room with a pre-made kit. She said she hasn’t heard any complaints about the policy from others on her floor.

“Its a good idea for safety, but not thought through,” said Kevin Merrill, the resident assistant in Friley’s Knapp house.

Merrill, sophomore in pre-advertising, said the waiver policy was redundant since residents already have to sign their contracts, indicating they accept liability for accidents occurring in their rooms.

He said he is in charge of checking residents into their rooms and inspecting their lofts to make sure they meet regulations.

“I was afraid [the policy] would be a problem, but it hasn’t,” Merrill said.

Once he checks their lofts, he said residents are in charge, but they can technically be kicked out of the university if they do not have the ladder and side rail on their lofts.

Merrill said some residents edge around the regulations through loopholes in the wording. Since the policy does not specify how long rails and ladders must be in place, some residents remove them after inspections. Others stack the metal frames provided by the university on top of each other to make bunk beds, which are not regulated in the same way.

“The solution would be for the university to provide lofts with the other furniture,” he said.

Some rooms, Bruns said, such as those in Maple and Union Drive Association Suite 1, already have lofts installed by Iowa State, and residents’ reactions have been positive.

In the future she said the university is considering providing lofts in all rooms, which would not specifically increase costs.

“It’s a big messy situation,” Merrill said. “But we understand it’s for safety.”