[CAUT] piano in pit

[Dorothy Bell]

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Dear Cauts:
What would you do if you were the department head?
Ed S.

Having worked as the administrator in a science department, where accidents/errors/safety problems were always occurring, I was wondering about some questions of fact:
    
        How was it known that this student was the one responsible? Was he found aghast (or not) at the site, did he run and tell someone immediately, did he leave the scene and was identified only by having left his cellphone behind, and so on? Each different scenario shows a different degree of willingness to take responsibility --

        What switch did he push to lower the pit floor? Was it secured in any way? How distinguishable was it from other switches in the area? Did he take his action in darkness or with lights on?

        Was the piano customarily left partly on the pit floor and partly on the stage floor?  Were there any safeguards against that happening?

        Were there any signs or rules against students playing this particular piano? Was the piano locked? Was the hall locked?

I guess I have two extreme scenarios in my head: thoughtless kid behaving with absolute entitlement, prying open the locks to the hall, the piano, and the labelled pit-floor switch in order to play on the piano -- or kid new to the campus, a little disoriented, wanting to play a really good piano, trying to find the light switch, horror-struck as the thing begins to tilt , shouting for help, pulling desperately on the left cheek block as the piano slides into the pit --

So if I were the department head I would want more information before making a decision. And at least he didn't catch a lab on fire, and there was no death.

Dorrie Bell
Boston, MA
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