Residents of Brown College and the Gooch-Dillard residence area will feel the effects of the University's tightening budget in at least one very tangible way this year -- they will have to clean their own bathrooms.
In response to looming budget cuts, the Housing Division informed residents it will no longer clean the bathrooms, Chief Housing Officer Mark Doherty said.
"In light of the increasingly serious budget situation, the notion was to bring the service to the same level as what is in other upperclass apartments," Doherty said.
In most upperclass dormitories, Housing does not clean the bathrooms.
An example of the kind of arguments over budget-trimming that University students might come to expect in the next two years, many students have objected to the housekeeping change.
In another cost-cutting measure, the Housing Division has also eliminated Saturday mail delivery, Doherty said.
Housing is not planning to fire any workers but will save money by not re-hiring some workers who leave, he added.
Housekeeping still will provide toilet paper and clean "common" areas, such as hallways, in Brown and Gooch-Dillard.
Some students said they were angry because they signed their housing contracts with the expectation of housekeeping service in the bathrooms.
"It's a definite breach of contract," said Aaron Silverman, third-year College student and Brown resident.
Some students also complained they did not find out about the change until they arrived on Grounds, and found letters in their mailboxes.
"We could have been given more warning," said Alexia Spanos, a third-year College student and Gooch resident.
Other students pointed out the inconvenience of coordinating the cleaning of a bathroom shared by several students.
A petition has circulated around Gooch-Dillard calling the cutbacks in housekeeping a breach of contract and demanding a refund for all residents of the $190 increase in housing fees that went into effect this year for Gooch-Dillard, plus additional money, Spanos said.
Doherty defended the new policy as a necessary cost-cutting step.
"It's unfortunate to do this, and we wish we had more time to notify students," he said. "What we do need to be concerned about is preserving core services."
In response to requests by Gov. Mark R. Warner to cut costs and fill a $1.5 billion deficit in the state budget, the University has prepared for up to a 22 percent budget cut in each of the next two years.
Spanos objected to Doherty's choice in service cuts.
"Maybe there were other areas to cut that didn't involve hygiene," she said.
But Brown resident and third-year College student Lisa Lucas downplayed her new bathroom-cleaning duties.
"I don't feel I've been wronged," Lucas said. "Really, it's been a luxury" not to clean her own bathroom.
Lucas said she is happy that money saved on bathroom cleaning will benefit other areas of the University.
Doherty said he doesn't think the change in policy will deter students from living in Brown and Gooch-Dillard.
"The initiation of change is always most painful," he said.
Brown resident and third-year College student Brad Rogers said the loss of housekeeping is unfortunate. But he added that the loss of housekeeping services pales in comparison to other sacrifices University students might have to make, such as cutbacks in library services and the potential loss of faculty.
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