Residence Halls prepare for move out, summer

As finals week winds down and seniors prepare for commencement, students across the campus are packing, saying goodbye to friends and preparing to move out of Bloomington for the summer. Empty boxes fill residence hall rooms, students are selling back their textbooks and many are enjoying the freedom of having no classes or homework.\nBut for resident assistants and the professional staff of Residential Programs and Services, the hard work is just beginning, said RPS Director of Residential Operations Bob Weith.\n"The RAs touch base with the residents to make sure that they have the information they need about moving out procedures," Weith said. "They go around and check the rooms to make sure they are in the same condition as the beginning of the year."\nBut sometimes, residence hall rooms are not in the same condition they were in at the start of the academic year. If they are not, RAs are responsible for taking note of damages and reporting them to their supervisors, Weith said.\n"They take inventory to see if anything is damaged. If it is, they take note of it, and perhaps the student is billed if the damage is beyond what we call normal wear and tear."\nTo make the moving out process easier, freshman Lisa Wooldridge, a resident of Wright Quad, said she started packing early.\n"I began moving things home little by little after spring break. I obviously had large appliances left for the last week, and there have been some things I have had to work out," Wooldridge said.\nWooldridge said the maintenance staff at Wright was helpful as she moved out.\n"I removed my air conditioner and I needed help taking it to my car. The maintenance man told me that he wasn't suppose to take it to the car himself, but he helped me out anyway," Wooldridge said. "I'm sure that he's not able to help everyone, but I'm glad that he bended the rules to help me."\nBut despite this help, Wooldridge said she has experienced some difficulty moving out because of residence hall policies.\n"The center desk has required all of the doors to be closed, but it makes it difficult to move large appliances like refrigerators, televisions, computers, etc., out of the dorms, especially if you're moving on your own," Wooldridge said.\nWeith said students can make the moving process easier for themselves and the residence hall staffs by taking responsibility for their trash and their personal belongings, as well as adhering to the move-out schedule. Weith said while it might be difficult for students to move their furniture and possessions out of the residence halls, they need to be sure to do so for safety reasons.\n "Students should do the very best they can to put the room in the same condition they found it," Weith said. "They need to make sure extra furniture they brought is not still in the rooms or left in the hallway. This is a problem every year, as well as a fire hazard."\nMany times, students leave trash in their empty rooms or in the hallways, which Weith said is an inconvenience for the residence hall staffs.\n"Students should make sure to take the trash on down to the dumpster," Weith said. "It's always a temptation to leave it in the room or the hallway."\nBeyond taking care of their furniture and their trash to make moving out easier for the staffs, Weith said students need to protect their possessions at this time of the academic year.\n"As folks move out, it's also a time when they can be victimized," Weith said. "Sometimes, there are problems of theft. Residents should make sure they are being attentive to their possessions."\nAccording to the RPS Web site, www.rps.indiana.edu., students must be fully moved out of the residence halls by 10 a.m. Saturday. Once the residents are moved out, RPS moves in.\nEnvironmental Operations, the division of RPS responsible for care and maintenance of the residence halls, sends in cleaning squads to make repairs, clean and close down the halls for the summer.\n"The environmental operations squads come in and clean. This is our one opportunity for thorough cleaning without students in the buildings," Weith said. "The cleaning squads and the residence halls staffs go from room to room to do any major repairs, make sure windows are shut, etc."\nAs the RAs and the professional staffs work to shut down the residence halls for the summer, Weith said he hopes the RAs are taking care to do one of their most important jobs.\n"I also hope the RAs are doing there best to tell people goodbye and thank them for a good year," Weith said.