One thing that has always stood out to me about dorm life is the destructiveness of it all.
Holes punched in ceilings, puke in hallways, the full contents of a fire extinguisher unleashed in a stairwell.
When I talk to my mom about such things she is incredulous. How could people be this destructive when they’re adults? It’s so childish and stupid.
That’s the thing, mom, it seems like it’s just built into college culture by this point. Every month, multiple instances of destruction happen in dorms on this campus.
What’s the reasoning behind it all? Is it because there’s the thrill of doing it and not getting caught, because it’s funny or cool, or maybe a little bit of “liquid courage” leads to this kind of destruction.
Either way, the stories are sometimes hard to believe and the impact is one that is felt by everybody living within the dorm.
Madison Schueth, an RA in Dimmitt, has felt the impact of this destructiveness many times. As an RA, she has to pick up any messes she stumbles upon while she’s on duty. And if her bulletin board gets torn down? Suck it up and make another one.
“If it’s a bulletin board, it’s kind of “shit out of luck” you’ve got to redo it. Every bulletin board takes an hour and a half minimum to do. So that is another hour and a half of my time that I have to take to do those,” Madison said.
As she recalled a kitchen fiasco she encountered while on duty, her speech quickened and you could hear the annoyance in her voice. Chairs were tipped over, a pizza box was laying on a chair, there were gnawed on chicken bones on the floor, pizza slices strewn around, and ranch thrown at the wall. Because she happened to stumble across it, it was her duty to clean it. A forty-five minute cleanup task that nobody would ever want to volunteer for.
Lindsey Smith, a senior, also lived in Dimmitt at one time. Her freshman year her boyfriend lived on a floor filled with football players. Many a weekend there would be trash strewn throughout the hallway, holes punched in the ceiling, and missing furniture.
During her stay in Dimmitt, she even recalls a group of guys pushing a table down a flight of stairs.
Unfortunately for those that live in dorms, the actions of some can be the consequences of all. When signs, furniture, and other items start to go missing on a consistent basis, that’s where the fines come in.
The Director of Student Life, Sheri Hineman, starts sending out warning emails when a items start to go missing on a regular basis. If the items aren’t returned, the entirety of a dorm can face getting fined.
Madison said that after such emails are sent, signs are usually returned and slid underneath the RA door. However, if the majority of the missing items don’t resurface, the fines are implemented anyway.
Lindsey said this is one of the things that made her furious when she lived in Dimmitt.
“I would have knocked on their doors and yelled at them if I knew who they were. It isn’t fair to everyone if you’re going to act like a child,” Lindsey said.
Will expand on story with more interviews. Currently have interviews lined up with Sheri Hineman and Shannon Claxton to try and gain more insight.
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