1. Brian Levenson English 115A * Professor Sheriff
Destroying Our Campus
Brian Levenson English 115A * Professor Sheriff
Dorm Damage: It’s a Problem
A walk around campus on a weekend morning reveals that Colby does in fact have a dorm damage problem. Deployed fire extinguishers, exit signs knocked onto the ground, and even vomit litter some of the dorms.
Ways to solve this problem have been proposed in the past but few have yielded the desired effect. The most successful attempt has been the recent “Be a Mule, Not an Ass” campaign put on by SGA. This has resulted in a 35% decrease in dorm damage since last year through the Fall Semester.
For many other schools, the solution to dorm damage comes in the form of the installation of cameras in the hallways and “hallway monitors.” Not only have these solutions proven to be expensive, they have not always worked.
Colby, a college that prides itself on community, is not the right place to implement these policies. Instead, I have proposed a number of solutions that puts the ownership on students to be responsible for their actions in order to get the most out of our community.
Proposal to Solve Dorm Damage
In order to solve the problem of dorm damage here at Colby, I have proposed three separate actions that the school can take. Each solution requires very little money or time on the part of the school.
Part One: Create a Collaborative Relationship Between Custodians and Students
When students cause dorm damage, one of the last thoughts that enters their minds is “who is going to clean this up?” Every morning without fail, the custodians of every dorm dutifully clean up the messes and damage of the night before. If students met the men and women who clean up after them and formed a meaningful relationship with them, there is a better chance they would think twice before smashing an exit sign.
Part Two: Create Better Incentives for Dorms to Keep Damage Costs Down
Currently, the incentives to keep damage in the dorms down does not reflect the interests of most students. The reward for keeping the per student cost under $7 is either an ice cream social or a t-shirt. I would poll students to find an incentive that students would actually want to achieve and would advertise that reward as a way encourage minimal dorm damage.
Part Three: Create a System for Letting Students Know How Much Dorm Damage Their Dorm Has
One of the biggest complaints from students is the massive bill they receive at the end of the year for dorm damage, much of which they did not directly cause. I believe that if students in each dorm knew how much they are paying (or weren’t paying) on an updated basis, they would be less likely to cause damage. A strong connection between the Office of Campus Life (who keeps track of costs of each dorm) and CA’s would enable CA’s to relay the costs incurred by the dorm every month via in order to inform the residents of the dorm how much they are paying on a more updated basis.
Works Cited
Crossen, Michaela. "Seeking Alternatives (Not Wallets!!) For Dorm Damage Solutions." Web log post. N.p., 26 Apr Web.
Epstein, Joel, and Peter Finn. "Preventing Alcohol Related Problems on Campus: Vandalism." Center For Alcohol and Other Drug Prevention (1996): 1-8. ERIC. Web.
"Dorm Damage on Campus #1." Personal interview. 22 Apr
"Dorm Damage on Campus #2." Personal interview. 22 Apr
What Needs to be Done to Make this Happen?
Proposal 1) At the beginning of the year, a meet and greet would be organized by CA’s of every dorm between the custodians and students of the dorm. This would be a starting point for the relationship between the custodians and the students.
Proposal 2) A survey needs to be sent out at the beginning of the year by SGA with options for possible rewards for keeping dorm damage under $7/person (eg. gift cards to bookstore, etc.). This would raise awareness to the problem of dorm damage and give each student a stake in working towards that goal. The most popular choice would become the incentive that each dorm works toward.
Proposal 3) Creating the connection between Campuus Life and the CA’s of each dorm that relates up to date dorm costs to students.
Research Methods
During research for this project, I utilized blog posts from students at other colleges and universities who were concerned with the same issues, journal articles, as well as anonymous interviews with people who have extensive knowledge on dorm damage at Colby.
Copyright Colin Purrington (
Acknowledgments
I would like to acknowledge to the two anonymous interviewers who were critical for helping me understand the extensive nature of dorm damage at Colby College.