Recent increases in dorm rule violations are pushing the Residential Life staff to levy a mounting pile of fines against residents.

Biever Hall has seen a number of widely talked-about incidents this year, including a Slip N’ Slide in one floor’s hallway, a torn-down water fountain, a fight between two girls and reccurring false fire alarms.

Erik Kjosness, assistant director of Residential Life, said some floors are worse than others.

“We have to expect incidents to happen. This is the first time a lot of (students) are living with roommates,” he said.

Samira Jones, psychology sophomore, said Biever Hall residents have always experienced frequent fire alarms, as well as vandalism in the elevators with students carving obscene words into the walls.

As Biever resident assistant Brandon Crainer said, “It seems like this is normal freshman tendencies.” He added the occasional drinking and partying in the halls as another frequent occurrence.

Crainer, criminal justice senior, said he believes students have been causing trouble because they’re living on their own and now have more freedom.

Kjosness said Res Life and University Police are working together to prevent future incidents, including drinking violations.

Res Life staff are also putting up signs around Biever Hall warning students of the fines that will be administered if certain violations continue to occur.

“Male residents have higher fines per person,” Crainer said, because the energy level is higher among men. Usually, residents who live on the floor where the vandalism occurs pay the fines.

Some students who aren’t involved in such activities are getting annoyed by the frequent vandalism. “People have been spitting in the elevators,” Jones said. “The entire floor is now paying $100.”

She said she thinks the reason for the vandalism is immaturity, including freshman residents coming back drunk from bars on the weekend. “Everything keeps happening and I don’t see anything being done,” she said.

Crainer said these incidents seem to occur in the early morning hours. “No one will rat out a friend, and most don’t want anything to happen to them,” he said.

Rachel Funel can be reached at [email protected].