News
By Martin Olivier
|
August 30, 2002
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.