A night of vandalism in the dorms left residents picking up the pieces8212;and the bill.
Twelve exit signs and six fire extinguishers were damaged or destroyed on all four floors of Sage Point Building 813, including its basement, Thursday night. None of the residents admitted to knowing anything about how the hall was wrecked, but most said the same thing: Whoever knows had better come forward, because students shouldn’t have to pay for someone else’s vandalism.
As per fire code safety standards, the damaged exit signs and fire extinguishers were quickly replaced in the building. The repair costs totaled about $800, and Housing and Residential Education isn’t going to take the bill for most of it.
HRE is going to charge each of the building’s residents for the damage.
“I really don’t want to have to pay for it,” said Emily Ah Ching, a sophomore in exercise and sport science, who lives on the second floor.
The building’s veteran residents are no strangers to mischief in and around their home. Thieves steal bikes chained up outside the front door, the elevator has its share of minor graffiti and the handicapped parking sign behind the building is consistently ripped out of the ground, according to the U Police Department.
Students said they believe some of the damage was done by a handful of male residents who went around breaking ceiling tiles a few months ago, but they moved out last semester. The building’s victims weren’t left paying for the vandalism then, but this latest bout could go unpunished.
Housing hopes this incident at least serves as a lesson.
“You are responsible for protecting your home from vandalism. It’s money out of your pocket,” said Flavio Lima, HRE executive secretary, in an e-mail notice sent to the residents about the vandalism.
Anyone with information about the vandalism should call Leah Willis, residential education coordinator for HRE, at 801-587-2954.