One Student's Trash...

Hadley Village apartment directors are on the offensive when it comes to trash in common area spaces, and they are out to get their message across to residents: keep the hallways empty or you will pay.

Last year, a policy went into effect that mandated a $25 fine per resident of a four-person apartment for leaving trash in the alcoves outside apartment doors.

"This year, 25 people have been fined so far," said Missy George, office manager of Hadley.

Since the other two undergraduate complexes, Flint Village and South Lake Village, don't have the alcove area, they don't have the same kind of problem faced by Hadley Village residents.

Residents often mistake the alcove as an addition to their apartment, according to Beth MacEachin, assistant director for university apartments and interim complex director of Hadley.

MacEachin said the alcove space is not property of the resident since it is used as an emergency exit, and by law, is considered a fire door.

"That's why there's a window there - so a ladder can be brought up to the window in an emergency situation," said MacEachin.

According to the custodians in Hadley, garbage and shoes are among the most common items found in the hallway.

"My roommate got fined this year," said Sam Levenstein, a senior communication major and Hadley resident. "She had a checkstop when she want to register for classes, and found out she owed a fine for leaving trash in the hall," she said.

Many tenants are confused when they receive warnings and fines for items that don't exactly constitute trash.

"We've been verbally warned this year, and next time we'll be charged," said Aaron Otto, junior history major who lives in Hadley. "We had a recycling bin and a bike. I think it's a little weird that we can't keep things out there. There's not enough space inside."

Junior media study major Emily Robb and her roommates received a written warning for a carved Halloween pumpkin meant to serve as decoration for all residents in the building.

"We pay a lot to be here and we can't even keep a pumpkin here for a week," said Robb. "Instead of someone tattling on us, they should have come and talked to us. We didn't know we couldn't do that."

Robb was also confused as to why residents receive recycling bins since they have to do their own recycling, and cannot leave the bins outside their doors.

"Why do we have recycling bin if we can't put anything in it?" she said.

MacEachin said it is hard to define exactly what trash is and it is not plausible to allow some items and prohibit others. Students should avoid leaving anything at all in the hallways, MacEachin said.

"It's black and white. There's a gray area we can't possibly dictate," MacEachin said. "There's no keeping control of what is trash and what isn't. It's all in or it's all out, and at this point, it's all in."

Such strict definitions of trash, however, upset some residents.

"There's a big hallway that leads into my apartment," said David Cline, a Hadley resident and senior electrical engineering major. "Why can't I at least put my shoes out there?"

Hadley directors and custodians tried allowing shoes to be kept outside the apartments for a short amount of time, but they said this resulted in dozens of shoes lying in the foyer.

The same practice was also attempted with recycling bins, which subsequently overflowed and left odors in the hallways.

Students also complained about the $25-per-resident fees levied for trash violations.

"I think this is all ridiculous since we pay $500 and change a month to live in these apartments," said Jessica Lumb, a junior nursing major.

MacEachin encouraged students to start a village council to express their concerns and create guidelines for the issue. She said she is not opposed to compromising on what can be kept in the alcove and what can't.

"Maybe recycling bins will be allowed to be kept out at some time," said MacEachin. "I'm game for any voices and any feedback."