Community Council Update: Council examines dorm damage

In the Feb. 28 Community Council meeting, council member and Assistant Director of Custodial Services Linda Ross spoke to the council about the recent rise in dorm damages.

During the 2006-2007 school year, there was $54,418.69 in student dorm damages, well below last year’s number of $97,961.89.

Through Feb. 11 this year, there had already been $53,879.19 in dorm damages, almost equal to total damages in 2006-2007. This total does not include the fire in Gifford. Damages also tend to spike at the end of the school year, particularly in May when dorm rooms are assessed and damage from throughout the school year are discovered. Last year, over $25,000 of damages was discovered in May alone.

This indicates that the 2010-2011 school year may be the most costly year yet in terms of dorm damage. This damage is primarily incurred by sophomores, who are responsible for $11,427.77 of damage, and seniors, with $17,330.21 of damage in senior dorms and houses.

Not all damage was accounted for in this report; vending machines, for example, are maintained by the dining staff, so it is included in a different budget.

The cost of the damage includes the labor hours required to fix the problem. When damage is discovered, the College tries to find the responsible party and limit the suspects to as small an area as possible. The damage is then billed to those people. This becomes problematic for students who are not responsible for the damage, but happen to live in an area with frequent dorm damage.

This trend is not unique to Middlebury, but it is clear that dorm damage has become more costly and more frequent in recent years.

The Council brainstormed ways to reduce the damages. The council suggested fostering the same sense of community in the dorms as in the Academic Interest and Social Houses, which were responsible for only $890.75 and $3,547.78 of damage, respectively.

“I think dorm damage comes from a lack of connection within the community, and we want to promote community awareness,” said Council Member Addie Cunniff ’13.

Cunniff said she hopes “Community Council can become a proactive agent of change, and by promoting community can help prevent problems such as dorm and property damage before they become problems” as the semester continues.

The March 8 meeting the following week focused on planning the rest of the semester. Suggestions for topics to be addressed later include housing, orientation and seating during lunch in the dining halls.