Dorm damage increases

With $53,879.19 in dorm damage already billed and what are traditionally the most destructive months still to come, the 2010-2011 academic year is shaping up to be the most costly on record.

This fall, the College saw over $16,000 of damage in both October and November, making the two months the second and fourth, respectively, most expensive months since at least September 2006.

This particularly destructive fall was noticeable not only in the dorms but also outside with a trend of tree vandalism, resulting in $6-8,000 in non-billable damage.

“I find the increases very concerning because they suggest a lack of general respect and a lack of self-control among some of our students,” said Shirley Collado, dean of the College and chief diversity officer. “If we can’t get students to feel empowered enough to protect that part of their lives here, I think we have to really consider what this means for our students and our expectations as a community.”

Collado sees next year’s Superblock “Intentional Living House” as an example and potential leader in creating a greater sense of community, a potential solution to the dorm damage problem.

“The whole premise behind [the house],” she said, “is to model community. The 26 members … want to really ‘walk the walk,’ if you will, and set up expectations, values, guidelines that really embody respect for the people who live with them,” she said. “These are students who are tired of being in these social spaces and residential communities where there’s not a real shared sense of respect and community.”

Collado added that she hopes the Intentional Living House can be a model to emulate for the rest of the campus, and emphasizes that while the administration can continue enforcement to the best of its ability, the discussion needs more student voices and cannot merely be a top-down approach.

Damage typically spikes again in March and April, as spring fever sets in, seniors prepare for graduation and sophomores prepare to go abroad. Dorm losses peak in May when more room damage is found after move out. Last May, there was $26,913.80 of damage discovered, which accounted for almost a third of the damage for the entire school year.

Assistant Director of Custodial Services Linda Ross cites the majority of these charges to students moving furniture out of the room and not moving it back in before they move out. Even if a piece of furniture is found elsewhere in the dorm once a student leaves campus, the student is still charged for the furniture because there is no way to prove whether the furniture belongs in the room. Furniture is expensive, with beds and desks costing almost $400 each. Ross reminds that these costs can easily be avoided if students remember to move all furniture back to the room and leave the room the way it was found.

The costs of the fire in Gifford — which already was the second largest bill for dorm damage this year, totaling $3,653.42 — have not yet been finalized. The cost of repairs for water damage, particularly for the elevator, and the cost to re-do the rooms will most likely be substantial.

This year, the bills have been highest for the sophomores and seniors, who have incurred $11,427.77 and $17,330.21 in damage costs respectively. Alan Sanders ’11.5, who lives in Milliken, a sophomore dorm that currently has the third largest bill this year with $3,519.18 of damage, said he is “surprised at the total cost of the damage, but not by the fact that it is occurring.” He has woken up several mornings to find damage in the halls and in the stairwells.

Atwater B, Hadley and Allen have also incurred high charges with over $2,000 of damage in each.

To the surprise of College administrators, Winter Carnival weekend saw less than $500 of damage, breaking with one prominent Carnival tradition.

The College continues to face difficulties deciding who to bill for the damages. The commons do their best to isolate the area to as few people as possible; however, it is often impossible to determine who exactly was responsible. This results in an inexact process, where entire halls being billed for the actions of only a few people. Sanders explained that he was charged for holes punched in the walls in his hall even though he was sleeping when it happened.

The damage generally occurs on weekends when students are in large groups and alcohol is involved.

“Students need to have fun, but it doesn’t mean you need to break something,” said Ross.