As we University of Michigan students begin moving into our off-campus residences, we become very focused (for a brief time) on furniture arrangement, poster placement, and which items from the Ikea catalog would really make our tiny kitchens functional and stylish.  But if you’re one of the many living in a house with a porch, you might also want to consider something else.  The couch.

Last April, a 22 year old student perished in a fire that destroyed one South State street home.  According to an AnnArbor.com account:

started in a trash container on the front porch, spread to an upholstered sofa nearby, and eventually set fire to the whole house.

In June, the student’s mother went before the Ann Arbor City Council and asked that they once again examine plans to ban upholstered furniture on both front and rear porches.  I say once again because the City had tried to pass the ban in 2004 but it was stalled due to student opposition.  Between 2000 and 2004, there were 3 reports of couch fires on porches and 74 other incidences involving upholstered furniture on streets or sidewalks according to a report issued at the time.

An Op-Ed in The Daily would have you believe that, while the death of a student is certainly unfortunate, this revival of the couch ban is meant as an attack on students, or rather:

In theory, the intentions of the initial proposal may seem honorable. But in practice, the ban really isn’t about fire safety. For many city residents, it’s about aesthetics.

No, it isn’t.

Couches are an eyesore, this is true.  They are unsanitary, especially went left out in the elements as most are, to weather the Michigan winter.  Most of them have unknown origins but which are still used by residents who are quick to throw out mystery area rugs abandoned by previous tenants.

The opinion piece goes on to suggest that the actual safety issue is

the fact that many of the houses inhabited by students don’t comply with existing fire code, and this far exceeds any posed by couches. Hazards like old wiring and unsafe — or even nonexistent — fire escapes are much more dangerous.

There is no survey, study, or expert cited to support this conclusion. The City is not recommending that beer pong tables or other exterior furniture be prohibited on area porches.  And a student – a 22 year old – actually lost his life.

Let’s do the right thing and, as students, support the couch ban.

Best,

-B.C.Bodnar