The door to the eighth floor and roof of the Science and Engineering Building has been closed, and students may only peek through the window to the view outside.

A large red sign hangs next to the door reading “emergency exit only, no roof access,” while a paper sign taped to the door warns: “Do not open! Door alarm will go off!!!”

There was no specific incident that caused the closure, according to Cora Hanson, environmental health and life safety manager of the office of Environmental Health and Safety.

 “For a number of years there’s been a concern about safety,” said Lieutenant Mel Gilroy of the Oakland University Police Department.

“We’ve had to kick people off who were messing around,” said Gilroy, mentioning reasons including students drinking, throwing things and potentially harming themselves.

Ted Montgomery, media relations director at OU gave a similar response.

“More than anything it’s a safety issue,” Montgomery said. “You can see how there could be a mishap up that high.”

Some students are upset about the closure but recognize the reasoning behind it.

 “I’m disappointed; it was a stunning view of campus,” said Brent Yanos, a junior psychology major. “I understand though that the university faces certain liabilities and must adhere to certain guidelines.”

“I can see why they closed it but there might have been a better way of going about it,” said Brandon Wykoff, a sophomore political science major.

According to Gilroy, the concerns about the safety of student access to the roof led to the decision to close it off.

Information on who specifically made that decision was not given.

“It was a lot of different departments collaborating,” Hanson said.

“From a safety standpoint, it’s just not wise to let anyone up there whenever they want,” Montgomery said.