Broken windows. Vandalized exit signs. Furniture in the hallway. Vomit stained carpets.
These are some of the types of damages that Fairfield U. students see in their residence halls every day.
The fall 2010 semester, proved to be more costly than its 2009 counterpart. The total damage for this past semester for all of the on-campus residential areas combined was $15,527.32— an increase of $1,597.77 from the Fall 2009 semester.
Residents of Jogues Hall, as of the end of last semester, will be receiving the highest bill for hall damages. Jogues has accumulated $4,491.61 in damages, which is almost $2,000 more than the second highest-totaling residence hall; Campion.
When asked about living in the most charged building on campus, Jessica Jacobs ’14 criticized those people in charge of the students for allowing the poor conduct to grow. “The leadership in Jogues seems to tolerate this kind of disrespect towards the building and our community.”
A high concentration of vandalism in Jogues was most responsible for the residence hall’s high total. The semester’s most costly incidents include a damaged elevator and a broken glass door, resulting in fees of $299 and $244, respectively.
The second floor alone has been subjected to damaged exit signs, destroyed paper towel dispensers and many other minor fees. It has proven to be the costliest out of all residence hall floors on campus.
Another student, a sophomore who insisted on remaining anonymous, jokingly told The Mirror that “There are a lot of trouble makers around here.” He also went on to say that most of the kids who live there were written up frequently freshman year. “I feel that all of those kids were dumped here together.”
Most damages are small but accumulate cost quickly due to their regularity. According to Associate Director of ResLife Charlie Sousa, the most frequent charge made is for the removal of items, such as bed parts, from hallways. “We have to put in a call to maintenance to remove these items because they present a fire hazard,” he said.
Sousa added that while it may not be the most frequent damage, “hands down fire equipment such as alarms, sprinklers, and fire doors are the most expensive to repair.” This is because a specialized and licensed service must be called in to fix the equipment.
Students are only charged for damage that has been deemed malicious or as vandalism. Wear and tear to residence hall property is covered by money set aside in the university budget.
Due to their lack of common property, The Townhouses had the least amount of damage charges. Past trends suggest, however, that damage totals will increase for the spring semester. According to Sousa, this has to do with the increase of people partying outside in the warm weather and breaking fences.
Loyola and Kostka Halls, along with The Village Apartments and Townhouses, were the only residence halls to see a decline in damage fees compared to the Fall 2009 semester.
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