Numerous times this question has crossed my mind, “Does University Housing really care?”  Students expect to find a home away from home feel, so the only thing they should be concerned with is their studies. But so far my experience has been hardly that.  Near the beginning of the semester, I was dealing with second hand smoke and now I have to sleep with earplugs in almost every night.

Many students, such as myself, are paying a glorified amount of money to take a convenient residence here on Southeastern’s campus.  The shared dorm room fee is now $2, 070, and then add in the cost of standardized meal plan for $1, 225; totaling to an estimated $3, 295 per semester just to live on campus.  Thankfully, I have the help of government aid when paying for my housing, but most students are already financially ruining themselves, pulling out numerous loans; wondering if they will be financially stable to attend school the next semester.  But for all the money it takes to live on campus, is it really worth it? I have to constantly complain to my poor Resident Assistant, the Resident Assistant on duty, and send e-mails to the housing office.  

For almost the entire first month here in fall  2010, there were numerous people living near me that would smoke out on the end of our hall where there is a balcony. This spot is, however, about five feet from the door to my dorm.  When they smoked on the balcony, the smoke would drift into our dorm from under the door. I do not smoke and hate cigarette smoke very much.  We called our Resident Assistant on them when we smelled smoke or saw them smoking, but we could not seem to get them caught in person because our Resident Assistant was in class or was not near the residential hall at those times.  They were finally caught by our Resident Assistant after about the fourth time of us trying to catch them and thankfully the smoking outside of our dorm ceased.  

After this incident occurred, my roommate and I were looking in the 2010-2011 Residential Guidebook and saw that on the back cover in bold lettering it states “Zero Tolerance Policy.  No drugs, alcohol, weapons or smoked tobacco.  The use and/or possession of any drugs, alcohol, weapons, or smoked tobacco in any on-campus residential facility or parking lot will call for sanctions that may include removal from the University.”  We also discovered there are signs including this information plastered on each floor of the residential halls in numerous places.  Since the people on our hall were caught smoking four times on the camera outside of our door, and once by our Resident Assistant, we were curious to see how many sanctions one could receive before being removed from the residential halls.  While looking through the guidebook, we found it clearly stated that after the admonition and warning, the warning probation and the disciplinary probation; it can then further lead to suspension and then expulsion from the residential halls.  According to this, after the fifth time of getting caught smoking, the people should have been suspended or kicked out of the residential halls.  Through student protection, we are not able to know what punishment was given or if there even was any, but we knew for sure that they were not suspended or kicked out because we continued to see them entering and exiting their room.  It seems to me that University Housing only counted the one time they were caught in the act by our Resident Assistant, and ignored or did not look back to the four times they were caught on camera.  

Do not get me wrong, they do try to keep everything in “tip-top” shape, but only if they catch someone in the act of violating the rules are consequences served properly.  This does not seem to be a problem with the resident assistants because they are always so willing to help, but the problem seems to be inconsistency within the housing office with the heads in the department.  Rules need to be fully enforced with their consequences when they are stated in the guidebook, and every step should be taken to ensure that reports and complaints are fully dealt with and recorded whether caught in person or on film.  The main concern of Southeastern’s housing should be its paying customers and service should always be available, no matter what the circumstances.