2008 Woodie Awards
Where's the soap?
Drew washes its hands of supplying liquid soap in dorm bathrooms
Seth Gorenstein
Issue date: 3/30/07 Section: Arts and Leisure
Convenience and consistency are a large part of life at Drew University. Students are guaranteed a prepared meal with the swipe of a card. They never see a heating or electrical bill. Students receive career and personal counseling without opening a checkbook. And those living in dorms wake to find their hall's showers scrubbed and their toilet paper refilled.
However, not all amenities are covered in tuition. While it is provided in department houses and public buildings on campus, liquid hand soap is not supplied by the University in residence hall bathrooms. The purchase and distribution of hand soap is at the discretion of students and Resident Life employees.
The reasons why the University does not provide hand soap to residents are many.
"Hand soap…is an operating expense," Executive Director of Facilities Operations Zach McNeil said in an e-mail. "Given all the restrooms in [student residence] buildings, that is a significant expense." The University decided not to install hand soap dispensers to keep costs down, McNeil said.
Head of the Residence Hall Association senior Dragana Trivic said the threat of vandalism is one of the main reasons why hand soap dispensers have been absent from dorm bathrooms. "If the University were to provide individual soap dispensers, they might be taken by students and would need to be refilled fairly often," she said in an e-mail. "We've been informed by Facilities that this has been an issue."
Another reason for the absence of hand soap is the potential liability it would be to the University, according to Student Government Association President junior Matt Troy. Troy's platform for his freshman-year campaign for Welch senator included providing hand soap for dorm bathrooms. Troy's attempts were futile.
"Apparently, it's an insurance issue," he said, "because [if] by any chance that soap winds up on the floor and someone slips on it, it's the University's soap and they'd be responsible."
However, not all amenities are covered in tuition. While it is provided in department houses and public buildings on campus, liquid hand soap is not supplied by the University in residence hall bathrooms. The purchase and distribution of hand soap is at the discretion of students and Resident Life employees.
The reasons why the University does not provide hand soap to residents are many.
"Hand soap…is an operating expense," Executive Director of Facilities Operations Zach McNeil said in an e-mail. "Given all the restrooms in [student residence] buildings, that is a significant expense." The University decided not to install hand soap dispensers to keep costs down, McNeil said.
Head of the Residence Hall Association senior Dragana Trivic said the threat of vandalism is one of the main reasons why hand soap dispensers have been absent from dorm bathrooms. "If the University were to provide individual soap dispensers, they might be taken by students and would need to be refilled fairly often," she said in an e-mail. "We've been informed by Facilities that this has been an issue."
Another reason for the absence of hand soap is the potential liability it would be to the University, according to Student Government Association President junior Matt Troy. Troy's platform for his freshman-year campaign for Welch senator included providing hand soap for dorm bathrooms. Troy's attempts were futile.
"Apparently, it's an insurance issue," he said, "because [if] by any chance that soap winds up on the floor and someone slips on it, it's the University's soap and they'd be responsible."
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