Ohio University collected more than $5,000 through the residence hall room inspection that took place earlier this semester.
Ohio University cashed in this semester on prohibited items found in residence hall rooms.
The Department of Housing and Residence Life collected nearly $5,500 through more than 300 charges during the residence hall room inspections that took place earlier in the semester, according to Pete Trentacoste, executive director of Housing and Residence Life.
If one or more prohibited item is found in a room, the residents of that room are charged a $25 fee, Trentacoste said.
Prohibited items include candles, hot plates, empty alcohol bottles used for decoration and extension cords, according to OU’s student housing handbook.
“The majority of confiscated items were extension cords and outlet splitters,” Trentacoste said in an email. “There were a handful of candles and candle warmers.”
More than 200 rooms had one or more violations, Trentacoste said.
Every semester, residence hall rooms are inspected by the Housing and Residence Life staff to see that the rooms are meeting health and safety standards, according to the housing handbook. Prior to the inspections, residents are notified that they will be conducted, although the exact date and time of the inspection is unknown.
Although a student’s personal items are not searched during the inspection, the outlets and wall decorations are fair game, according to the housing handbook.
Illegal or prohibited items found during the inspections were confiscated and students can pick them up at the end of the semester from the Housing and Residence Life Office on their green, according to the student housing handbook.
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Sami Willison, a sophomore studying communication sciences and disorders, said she was in her residence hall in the Convocation Center when her room inspection took place.
“(The Resident Assistant) walked in the room … they walked around our couch … peeked in every single little corner and looked,” Willison said. “They didn’t open drawers, they didn’t do anything, they just looked.”
In the end, she said her room passed inspection.
Lexi Hipp, a senior studying communication studies, said the room inspections are a good way to keep students safe.
“I think, especially with the fire hazards, because if something were to happen then it’s not just your room that would be affected,” she said, adding that she never received a fine when she lived in the residence halls.
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