Ding! Ding! Ding! Ladies and gentlemen, we have a winner.
With a total of $6,000 in damages, Jogues holds the title of dorm with the highest damages bill as of late April.
The Jogues total is a little over a fourth of the total $24,000 damage bill, according to Gary Stephenson, the director of housing operations.
The bill mainly reflects damages to common areas such as common rooms, bathrooms and hallways. This includes everything from broken windows to the $100 charge every time someone vomits in one of these areas, according to Stephenson.
“The Great Flood of Jogues”, caused by a sprinkler that was broken by residents playing sports in the halls, totaled about $4,000. The individuals responsible for the incident are paying the bill, Stephenson said.
Residents of Jogues already seem to be aware of the building’s standings.
Jenny Mezzapelle ’09 was not surprised by the news and said, “I feel like everyone always says that it is a given every year that Jogues is number one.”
Stephenson attributes this to the setup of the building.
“I wouldn’t design a building like Jogues … It’s the only dorm where you open your door and do not face a neighbor.”
Stephenson added, “I think, in certain parts, a person might feel out of the eyes of the community and might feel like they could get away with something they might not otherwise try.”
The fact that Jogues is an all-freshmen building might be another factor.
“Freshmen come in sometimes with management issues and express them sometimes through vandalism,” said Stephenson.
Upon hearing that Jogues had the highest damage costs, Jogues R.A. Kevin Saville said, “In the scheme of things, I think freshmen buildings tend to have more damage. Jogues is highly populated. I think when you have many people using things they tend to get broken.”
Ashlee Downing ’08, another Jogues R.A., recounted the damages she has seen this year.
Downing also thinks that students forget who has to pay building damages at the end of the year.
“They’re not realizing that the money’s coming out of their pockets.”
A comparison with damages from last year shows that the damage bills for Jogues, Gonzaga, Loyola and Dolan are higher. In Regis, Kostka, Campion, Claver, the apartments and the townhouses, costs are lower. However, damage costs for the ’04-’05 year include the entire year while the numbers for ’05-’06 are only through late April.
As one of the dorms whose costs have increased, Loyola has about $2,000 in damages thus far. Normally, the amount of damage is much lower in Loyola, Stephenson said, but damage to the fire system has cost over $1,000.
Damages in common areas are broken down by floor and wing and are recorded along with the cost, according to Stephenson. At the end of the year, the total damage is equally spilt between the residents of each wing.
“In areas such as main entrances and elevators,” Stephenson said, “the policy is that the entire building pays for the costs of any damages if the individual who caused the damage is unknown.”
The occasional broken screen and light are considered common property damages in the apartments and townhouses.
Students who say they had nothing to do with the damages, however, do not want to help foot the bill.
“I haven’t been responsible for any of the damage done this year and therefore think that it is unfair to pay for a part of the bill,” said Nora Richardson ’08 of Jogues. “But I understand that if no one can be found responsible that the damage must be repaired and the money for that must come from somewhere.”
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