By now, most seniors have likely forgotten about the $100 damage deposit they paid at the beginning of their freshman year. Perhaps the same could be said for sophomores and even some juniors.
This fee helps cover any potential damage a student may incur while living on campus throughout their time at Waynesburg.
“That $100 is used to secure and pay for any damage that you have throughout your entire residency here,” said Jessica Sumpter, assistant dean of student services. “It’s a one-time fee, and I think that’s why people oftentimes forget about it because by the time you’re a senior, it’s been eight semesters.”
To increase transparency, there has been a change in the process this year both at the beginning and end of the school year. Before, students were not informed about any of the damage money that was taken from their deposit until they received their slashed security deposit check, or they didn’t receive one at all.
This year, the residence life staff notes the damage in the room, and then gives the resident a form to sign outlining the damage they see so that it will not be on the record of the current student. Also, residents will sign a form at the conclusion of this year so that there is more immediate communication on any damage charge.
“We wanted transparency which is why we came up with this,” said Chris Hardie, assistant dean of Student Services. “We want to be honest, but we also want to take back the money that we need to fix up the halls if there is damage, but this gives the student an opportunity to say ‘no that’s not correct.”’
Hardie said that they keep a detailed record of everything so that there’s no confusion when pulling up the records of individual students.
“We do have a trail,” said Hardie. “So, if a student didn’t know why they got $50 back instead of $100, we can tell them why because we have spreadsheets on that, and it’s saved in our campus system.”
When damage is found, Student Services works closely with facilities management to determine the cost of the repair. Most of the time, according to Sumpter, damage amounts are minor and don’t require the full deposit amount to cover the cost.
However, for serious damage that would go above the $100 deposit, an additional fine may be levied. That raised the question of whether all damage should be a fine as opposed to the current deposit system.
“A part of it is that it’s a little bit simpler from a business perspective in that it’s a standard collection we get from everybody right when they come in instead of reaching out to secure that payment each time,” said Hardie. “So, I think from a business office perspective, it’s probably a little cleaner.”
Sumpter also said that the deposit should be viewed as a deterrent to damage in the halls because residents are made aware of the deposit.
Furthermore, she noted that the actual rate of students who are required to pay a deposit or fine are fairly small.
Although the past system could have been taken advantage of due to the lack of knowledge about the deposit, as well as the lack of immediate communication to residents, Sumpter maintains that they may have been a little too lenient in their approach.
“I think we were a little too conservative to be honest,” said Sumpter. “I think we tend to give the student the benefit of the doubt as much as possible.”
Both Hardie and Sumpter acknowledged that they are continuously looking for a better system or for new ways to improve on the current system of security deposits.
“We both inherited this kind of process, so we’re working with it to see if there’s anything we can fix to make it better,” said Hardie.
Sumpter noted that most students really don’t have anything to worry about as long as they are responsible with their rooms.
It’s a payment that is easy to forget. Given the often-expensive bills that can be racked up, the chances of noticing a $100 deposit can get lost in the much larger numbers.
For some students who forgot the payment was even made, it can be a nice surprise when the check comes back to them in the mail following graduation.