Kortarius Finley, director of residence life for Quincy University, held a meeting in the lobby of Padua Hall on March 1, 9 p.m. He announced that if residents did not clean after themselves, everyone on that specific floor would be fined $30.

This measure was the result of a crack through a restroom mirror on the second floor. The crack appeared around the start of spring semester and no one came forward with an explanation.

Finley and some residents also brought up how others were not flushing toilets, leaving trash outside of doors, and leaving waste in showers.

Students had reservations about the measure. Overtime, those reservations are dissipating.

“I know why they have to do it,” Nolan Christian, senior, said, “but I don’t completely agree with it. Do I think it’s fair to the people that aren’t doing anything? No, but what else can they do? I guess they want people to step up.”

“Working with the faculty, though, really shows them that you are willing to help,” Christian said. “If you’re not involved in getting the crap cleaned, you’re just as guilty by not contributing.”

“Last spring, my floor was always clean,” Jordan Reddick, senior, said. “This year, it’s way worse. When I say way worse, I mean, you couldn’t use the bathrooms. Since Kort has taken over, things have changed a little bit, especially for my floor. It has its days, but I think it’s moving in the right direction. I think fining people could be done differently, but it’s the meaning behind it. If everybody don’t get on the same page, then everybody needs to get fined for that. We’re adults, we got to act like we have some training.”

“The washing and dryer room is a lot cleaner than what it used to be,” Reddick said. “The hallways are a lot cleaner. People don’t leave their trash bags in the hallways anymore. The bathrooms are still iffy. It ain’t gonna change overnight, but I applaud the change that Kort is making.”

Finley made his position clear at the meeting and continues to stand by it.

“There have always been fines, that’s highlighted in your housing agreement,” Finley said, “it’s in the student hand book as well. The fines aren’t anything new, they’re just being enforced now. What’s encouraged me to do this is because I used to live in these dorms. The places where you live are your home and they should be treated with respect. Some students understand that and they go the extra mile to insure that their dorm is being kept up while others don’t. So, to combat that is where the fines come in. You wouldn’t treat the dorms the same way if they were your home. Your parents wouldn’t allow it, so we don’t allow it.”

“After you’re gone, these buildings still have to be used,” Finley said. “Padua Hall, our biggest dorm, will be used for incoming freshmen. Why should a freshman have to deal with broken furniture from a previous student all because they were having a bad day. People have bad days, accidents happen, but it’s about holding yourself, your classmates, and each other accountable. That’s how we insure that the items we have, which aren’t cheap, stay in good condition.”

Finley is confident this measure will yield positive results over time.

“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Finley said, “but I’m very motivated because I have a vision for what these dorms should look like. I just ask that the students start taking better care of them.”