When students sign a contract with a residence hall, they take on more than just a place to stay and board fees. They also take on a responsibility for their floor's upkeep, which, if violated, can incur many more unseen expenses.
Three weeks ago, an ottoman disappeared from a common area on the fourth floor of The Courtyards. If no one steps forward with information, an e-mail sent to residents explained, the entire floor may have to split the $200 cost.
The incident in The Courtyards is merely one example of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's policy regarding common area damage.
"The way that we do our policy is any time there are damages, extra cleaning or missing items, a work ticket is issued by faculty or staff," said Keith Zaborowski, the associate director of Housing Residence Life at UNL. "Sometimes there might also be a police report, in cases of vandalism or theft.
"We post the ticket up on the floor and give residents a few days to come forward and say, ‘I did it,' or ‘This is who did it.'"
The posted tickets also include information about billing amounts per student, should no one step forward.
"If no one comes forward, charges are split based on number of residents and based on cost of items," Zaborowski said.
Rarely are there complaints of unfair charges, although they are not unheard of.
Last year, two women-only floors of the Cather Residence Hall were spared fees when it became evident that no residents had information on who had urinated in their dryers. Instead of fining the floor, a $500 reward was issued for any leads.
Usually, however, the policy does its job.
"In the end what we're hoping is that someone will know who did it," Zaborowski said. "It's very rare that no one knows. Our goal isn't to bill everyone, but for people to take ownership, and if they did the damage to pay for it. Typically that's what happens."
Shane Lowe, a junior economics major, experienced the policy firsthand after he destroyed a Neihardt water fountain his freshman year.
"At first, I didn't say anything," Lowe said. "Then they put up a sign in the hallway saying they would bill the whole floor. Everyone knew it was me; I wasn't trying to keep it a secret. So I waited a few days before going to talk to the RA. It wasn't a conversation I wanted to have, but I knew it had to be done.
"I think the fee came to about $140. I did something stupid, and I didn't want the floor to have to pay."
The case of the missing ottoman has yet to develop further, but according to Zaborowski, the policy usually leads to a satisfactory conclusion.
"Typically, when there's billing, it's amazing how many people will step forward," he said. "Out of all 140 or so floors, we only deal with incidents on two or three floors a year. That gives you an idea of how well the common area damages policy works."
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