All Anderson Hall residents will be required to pay a $25 vandalism fee, according to an email sent by Housing and Residence Life on Nov. 20. This fee is a response to vandalism throughout the building, including repeated destruction of emergency exit signs and other in-hall necessities.
According to the email, damage to signage, ceiling tiles and wiring has “continued and increased so extensively” that repair costs have been unsustainable.
The email also noted an unauthorized removal of University hardware that led to a building-wide laundry outage the week prior and recent damage to in-hall fire safety systems that caused “extensive damage and residential impact” in reference to hall flooding earlier in the week.
The University cited the Student Conduct Code, which permits these charges when the responsible individuals are not identified.
“In the event of willful damage to the common areas located in the immediate vicinity of a student’s room, or to the furnishings or facilities located therein, if the willful perpetrators of such damage cannot be identified, all resident students served by that common area may be assessed for repair or replacement costs,” according to the code.
An ongoing investigation is working to identify the responsible students who will then be referred to the Office of Student Accountability & Restorative Practices and/or University Police.
However, if the students are not identified, the HRL team will assess additional expenses and potentially implement further charges.
The email encourages students to reach out to Resident Assistants or Community Directors with information about the vandalism of exit signs or building directional signage damage on the floors.
This article was edited by Abigail Hatting and Walker Whalen. Copy editing done by Sabine Kanter-Huchting.
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