At the beginning of the school year Cascade Hall was subject to multiple cases of vandalism. One instance resulted in two broken windows while another involved damage to a communal restroom. Every year, vandalism occurs in the residence halls. Yet, vandalism doesn’t just include instances of damaged university property. Area Coordinator Megan Hockert explained that vandalism covers a wide range of hall instances.
“Instances of vandalism really just depend on the year,” said Hockert. “The most common vandalism is students ripping down posters. We also see a lot of damage to communal restrooms.”
Hockert and residence assistants are still investigating the damages to the Cascade restroom. A person has been identified for the broken windows, but not yet charged.
“We encourage all [students] take responsibility for this being their home,” said Hockert. “If you live off campus you have to pay for damages done to your living space.”
When it comes to students living in residence halls, Hockert said it is important for them to understand the Residence Hall Handbook. The handbook states, “Residents are expected to report such vandalism to university staff if they encounter it… Because housing rates cover only the standard operating expenses, damage, vandalism and neglect are not covered by housing rates. Should the university need to spend money to fix vandalized areas, the costs may need to be shared among community members.”
Hockert explained that if no one comes forward or is reported as causing the vandalism, then everyone in the hallway will be charged for fixing what is broken or what needs to be cleaned. She said if there is an instance of cleanliness in the halls on a weekend, custodial services and facilities have to be called in to clean up which counts as overtime for the staff members.
“A majority of the students do very well at cleaning up after themselves,” said Hockert. “Some halls have more issues [with vandalism].”
If students have questions or concerns about the policies involving vandalism they can contact their hall residence assistant or their area coordinator.
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