By Elizabeth Childers
Online Editor
Trash overflowing in the stairwells. Recycling that hasn’t been taken out in weeks. Dirt and hair tumble weeds float down the hallways and bathrooms that are rarely cleaned. Think I’m talking about Smith? Guess again.
This year is the first year I have not lived on the second floor in Welch. This is also the first year I’ve run across issues with my building being unclean and having the uncomfortable realization that I’m out of toilet paper while in one of our public bathrooms.
In my previous building, our housekeeper, who was a wonderfully delightful woman that would leave us a card every year before Christmas break, would come in every Tuesday morning, mop our bathroom, clean our showers and counters, and take out our trash. At the beginning of the year, she would let us know her cleaning day and asked what time would work best for us for her to come and clean. She was amiable and always did a fantastic job. My roommates and I always chipped in for a card and box of chocolates for her to show our appreciation.
This year however, has not been as pleasant.
Immediately, my roommate and I noticed our bathroom was not being cleaned, though toilet paper was supplied. The trash can in the stairwell, after only a few days, was overflowing with trash, and we weren’t sure if there was a spot to place bigger things. (We later on noticed the dumpster across the parking lot.) And this weekend, starting as early as Thursday, the hallways began to reek of the unpleasant, pungent odor of moldy garbage and bad food.
And let’s not forget about our community kitchens. This is a running problem I’ve seen in every building, save Welch (seeing a pattern here, folks?).
Our kitchen, located in the basement, has been a mess from the get-go, with trash littered on counters, crumbs and food strewn on tables, and a sink constantly surrounded by dirty cooking utensils. If I were you, I wouldn’t even think of going near the microwaves or toaster ovens down there since they look like they have bio lab experiments growing on the insides.
Our RA has been on top of these issues from the beginning. Over the course of the semester, he has been working with his residents and other higher ups to try and get these issues resolved. And a few days after the first series of e-mails, the dorm was looking better. But honestly, this odorous weekend has been the brick that brought the Jenga tower down.
I’m not saying Building and Grounds needs to be our nannies. I don’t expect them to pick up after every single mess made by every student on this campus.
We are adults, and we should be able to do our fair share, like washing our own dishes and cleaning up spills when we’re done cooking, or placing trash in the proper places. But considering we each pay around $10,000 to live here, I would say we can at least expect them to take out the trash an extra day a week, or run a sweeper in the hallway every Wednesday.
Editor’s Note: The author of this editorial proceeded to empty the trash for the entire building after writing this editorial.