RHA, Housing establish committee to examine collective liability policy

Jumpstarted by recent vandalism in residence halls such as Eighth Street and Center Street Apartments, the Residence Hall Association and the Department of Housing are forming a committee to address the issue of collective liability.

The existing policy, which is outlined briefly in the housing handbook and contract, states that the Department of Housing reserves the right to pass on damage charges to a group of residents when they cannot pinpoint individual residents who are responsible.

The policy is one of the most controversial in the handbook, especially among students who have experienced its impact firsthand.

"I think that collective liability is not fair...Why should the other 120 or so people have to pay for the damages that only one person did to the building?" said Will Evans, a fifth-year Aerospace Engineering major. Evans, who lived in Hemphill during summer 2003, was fined $50 when someone stole a golf cart from a utility office and destroyed landscaping.

As a result, the committee, which consists of housing staff and RHA members, plans to meet through March and April to come up with recommendations and changes for the current policy.

"Collective liability has always been on our plate," said Andrew Howard, RHA president. Last year Howard received 85 emails from residents of Woodruff who were upset when the policy was invoked to cover damage to the Woodruff elevator. Similar incidents this year, such as repeated damage to the planter's pots in Eighth Street, has prompted another backlash.

"We're getting a lot of complaints, and they are centered around two things: the policy in general, and [how] Housing enforces it," Howard said.

Howard brought the concerns to Dan Morrison, Associate Director of Housing for Residence Life, who agreed to form a committee and listen to their input.

One of the items on the committee's agenda is how Housing can enforce the policy more consistently.

"They threaten us with it every semester and it's never happened," said Trevor, a fifth-year CS major who lives in Center Street and who asked that his last name be withheld.

According to Morrison, this is because collective liability "is something that we don't do lightly...we don't like to charge it." When an incident occurs that is serious or expensive enough that Housing needs to recoup the costs, an informal investigation process takes place first-and often, collective liability is used to provide an incentive for residents to report any knowledge about vandalism as well.

Though generally effective, using collective liability in this way also has its drawbacks.

"My basic belief is that if you're going to threaten to charge it, you better charge it," Howard said. "If you're going to put signs up that say we're going to charge...and then end up not charging it...then all of a sudden the policy [loses credibility]."

Another issue on the table is the amount charged. Currently, if Housing does decide to invoke collective liability, there is a minimum charge of $25 per incident. Many students do the math and come to the conclusion that the $25 minimum allows Housing to actually make money off vandalism.

"If they do charge us, I think they should be required to give us a quote of what was damaged, how much it will cost to fix, and a breakdown of how much it will cost per student," said Jessica Smith, a fifth-year Electrical Engineering major who lives in Center Street.

"There are a lot of people living here, and if we get charged $50 each, that has to be more than whatever damage was done...I can't imagine the door would be more than $2 per person" she said.

However, Morrison pointed out that again, because Housing rarely charges, when they do, the costs recouped balance out so that there is little to no profit. "One thing I don't think students understand is really how many of these costs Housing absorbs," Morrison said.

Several different policies have been suggested to handle the monetary issue. Both Morrison and Howard support the exploration of a threshold-type system.

This type of policy would keep track of damage, but only charge students if the progressive costs exceeded a specified "threshold" limit. According to Howard, some universities who use this policy put a "thermometer" in the hall to indicate the accumulation of damage charges over the year.

"The reason I like that system is that it lets residents know...what's being damaged, and gives them an idea of where the building stands," Howard said. "Obviously, the higher the number gets, the most cautionary the residents are going to be, and it causes them to be more informed."

Other possible policies include a straightforward division among residents of damage costs. Another option, a damage deposit that would be refunded at the end of the year, is currently not feasible because the Bursar's Office does not like to maintain outstanding money on student accounts.

Lastly, the committee hopes to develop a better procedure for informing residents about the policy. Currently, a variety of methods are used to inform residents when collective liability might be invoked, including flyers, email and door-to-door contact. However, not all methods are always employed in a timely manner and may leave out key information.

The committee has already specified some goals since their last meeting, including contacting peer institutions to compare policies. "We also decided that we want Housing to keep track of all damages that appear in a common area per building," said Nabil Taha, the RHA chair for the committee. "They should also create a list of specific costs for labor and material. These should be posted in a common area in each residence hall."

The committee will pass its recommendations to RHA's legislative body, who will vote on the proposal and then pass it to the Department of Housing. Housing will evaluate the changes over the summer and make the decision as to whether the policy will be implemented for the 2005-2006 school year.

Barring any radical changes, however, Taha said the recommendations are likely to be approved. "They're usually very open to student opinion," he said.