Residents of Hadley Village were the victims of a nasty trick after Halloween. The method of attack was not raw eggs, but fines levied for littering. Unfortunately, the litter consisted of a decorative pumpkin and a bicycle, both of which were clearly not garbage. The alcove halls were cluttered, but the timing of the item's removal as well as the lack of communication with residents served only to aggravate an already questionable pattern of enforcing cleanliness in the apartments.
It is up to the staff of the apartments to enforce the rules as they see fit. The Rules and Regulations Handbook for the apartment complexes clearly states that, "residents may be charged for trash and/or property left outside of apartments." However, that definition is vague, as placing something outside an apartment for decoration is different from intending to leave it there.
For apartment life to run in a smooth and neighborly fashion, communication between the students, administrators and janitorial staff must be open and apparent. A staff too committed to cleanliness infringes on students' comfort.
The staff is in place to preserve the integrity of the common areas, and that works best when students take an active role in the improvement of their university homes.
The Hadley residents did not intend to leave the items out as trash, as is the case with most seasonal decorations. If there was confusion regarding the pumpkin, the custodial staff member should have alerted the students and instructed them to either bring it inside or dispose of it in the proper manner.
The custodial staff must uphold the rules, but doing so exactly to the letter will only anger students. If the staff reminded students to take their trash out or to use storage space, it would save everyone time and effort. The students who deliberately trash their hallway space deserve to be fined, but no one should be interpreting laws to penalize students who are showing festive spirit.
Students should not abuse the privileges of the alcove outside their rooms. Hadley directors and custodians have previously allowed students to keep shoes and recycling bins outside the rooms in the past, but over time, footwear started littering the floor and the familiar funk of garbage soon began to emerge from the bins.
Because of this, Hadley employees have the right to become irritated when student messes become noticeable. The guidelines and fine descriptions are noted on the lease and apartment contracts, but unfortunately, many students only glance over the paperwork and fail to remember details such as these. The directors and janitors should not have to baby the residents and constantly remind them of their responsibilities.
The actions in Hadley will serve to weaken the relationship between tenants and administrators instead of strengthening the overall safety and awareness of residents. Hopefully, those living and working in Hadley will pursue more open communication in the future, both to strengthen a positive relationship and to improve the overall living conditions of all who reside in the complex.
