<p>TMI = Too much information :)</p>
<p>^^^ Yup. Correct. Thanks, abasket. I’ve been gone all day and couldnt respond to Toledo’s question (at a funeral-- drive almost 6 hrs each way to attend) :(</p>
<p>Colgate does this too- we’ve gotten a bill every year for common area damages. I particularly liked the bill we got at the end of last year, given that my son was abroad for the second semester. The amounts are relatively minimal but the bills are annoying. I understand the idea behind the common area damages bill but as a practical matter, this concept doesn’t work. The kids either don’t know who did the damage, or if they do, they aren’t turning in their classmates.</p>
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<p>That also creeps me out because it’s a fire hazard.</p>
<p>But staying on-topic with room damage fees, even annoyingly small ones… these generate conversation between parents and kids, even non-offenders. Those kids, in turn, might object when damage is in process, knowing it will impact their family’s bill.</p>
<p>^^ True. College pranks are ok, but safety has to come first.</p>
<p>BTW, got DS moved out of his dorm room yesterday and signed out as all clean by the RA. And, wonder of wonders, I saw my S operating a vacuum cleaner! With my own eyes! And, I got a photo! Proof! He spend the day saying “I can’t believe it. Freshman year is over. I cant believe I won’t be at college tomorrow”. I spent the day saying “I can’t believe it. He uses a vacuum cleaner. And he knows how. I can’t believe it”. :)</p>
<p>update-
Got hit with ANOTHER $112 and change for room damage (which, upon further discussion, is apparently for a carpet stain), and community hall damage (trash in the hall, screws missing from a hall toilet, etc). The school housing office is reconsidering the** $100 charge **for a stain on the carpet ( :eek: ) (they will reduce it to $40. Well, thats a start.) My s is looking for his checkout sheet that he got when he left. His room was pristeen. I took a picture of him with a vacuum cleaner (a sight I’d never seen). Hopefully he’ll recall where he put the housing checkout sheet, as there was not a notation of a carpet stain, per his recall, and there was a stain on the carpet when he moved in (which wasnt noted on his check in sheet, and who would pay any attention to that anyway-- who cares- its a DORM room!). His roommate got hit with a $30 fee for a drawer being uneven in a piece of furniture. This is just silly. Besides, the carpet will surely be cleaned as part of the routine summer cleaning. It really feels petty. That said… maybe I’ll start assessing my s a “community fee” for every time I have to clean up after him this summer. There’s a plan…</p>
<p>**** added thought…
sorta understand the $12 charge, though some of the fees seem silly. But yes, they should clean up after themselves and not damage stuff. But The carpet stain thing is bothersome. I am hopeful the housing person will have a positive response after she talks to maintenance. She said the stain “looked deep” in a photo. (???) I am not sure how one determines that, or what caused it, or whose fault it is (roommate didnt get chanred for it,as it was supposedly on DS side of the room…) Anyway, I am hopeful they wil reconsider this as part of normal wear and tear. That room was absolutely SPOTLESS with no damage when we left. I am disappointed that they would try to nickel and dime like this. If I got hit with $100 fee for a stain and his rommate $30 for an uneven drawer, I have to wonder what others are getting hit with. Seems like the poor housing office will be fielding a lot of phonecalls in the next few days. I can understand if someone really did do some significant damage to a room (broke the bed, tore the blinds out or whatever) but this is just silly, and leaves a bad taste in ones mouth…</p>
<p>I am appreciative of their willingness to reduce the exhorbitant cost, but still, $40 to clean a carpet stain? If I was close by, I’d do it myself!</p>
<p>I think I might have left the A/C on when I checked out. I must have forgotten that it’s on. Anyways, I find that for minor damage (like paint and such) NYU just eats the cost. And here I am thinking "OMG! There’s a cost that they DON’T pass on to the students?!?!?!?!!?!?! :shock: "</p>
<p>This is one issue that we nipped in the bud. S was informed by me before his freshman year that room and/or communal damage assessments were NOT ON MY NICKLE!</p>
<p>Hasn’t ever been a big “hit.” Seems like it was under $25 last year. We haven’t received this year’s statement. </p>
<p>BTW–S’s dorm accommodations were so Spartan that to do damage other than by paint or fire seems impossible. </p>
<p>jym626–the room came with a carpet? A/C ???</p>
<p>It seems like university housing offices have become like car rental companies. It’s best to make note of any damage, no matter how small, in order to avoid getting blamed and charged for it later.</p>
<p>07DAD-
The carpet was that industrial indoor/outdoor looking stuff. And yeah- they had A/C. I dont recall if they had any control over the temp. It was usually set on “refrigeration”.</p>
<p>D has warned me that community damages in her dormitory will be high at St. Lawrence especially after “Senior Week”, which should probably be called “Drunk Week” in my opinion. We have not received the bill yet. </p>
<p>Maybe if the colleges had students sign an agreement with parents and the Offices of Residential Life that the STUDENTS would pay the community damages & not the parents, then perhaps there would be less damage.</p>
<p>Re: boys and vacuum cleaners—</p>
<p>S moved from campus into an apartment in May so he’ll have it over the summer and next year during college. I delivered a load of hand-me-down furniture including a rug for underneath his bed. It comes out at least 30" past the sides of the bed and is much longer than the bed length.</p>
<p>All they had in the dorm were little, self-provided “postage stamp” sized throw rugs.</p>
<p>I asked him how he was going to keep the large area rug clean. Clueless. For a moment I started to suggest thinking about getting a vacuum cleaner or at least a hand “Bissel.” I decided DADT was the most likely course of action.</p>
<p>We received a bill for eighty seven CENTS. It was to cover extra trash removal. It seems to me that they should know that 200 girls are going to have extra trash at the end of the year and just suck it up but I paid it and had to laugh a little. How much did it cost them to send out the bills, receive the moneys, etc??</p>
<p>Just saw S’s room damage statement. It actually had no “room” damage, all the charges were for damage to the building and common areas, so were charged to all residents of that building. Charges ranged from .45 for wall repair to $3.05 to repair or replace a couch for a grand total of $8.04. I can live with that! That is just deducted from their room damage deposit on their account.</p>
<p>I’m normally a neat person, and i like to keep my things in perfect condition so i’m hoping that i won’t do much damage.</p>
<p>icedragon-</p>
<p>You might want to consider requesting a single, especialaly if you are a male. Those dorm rooms often looked like bombs hit them!</p>