Doing laundry in a college dorm is rarely a thrilling experience. But for residents of Wren Hall, it has become slightly more disagreeable lately.
According to an e-mail that Wren's resident director sent on Sunday to students living there, some of them have reported finding urine in a dryer twice in the past month.
"As you all know, a few weeks ago a dryer was found to have urine in it and the process was completed to have it cleaned, both by OneSource and Mac-Gray," RD Jenn Hawes wrote in the e-mail. "This past week I was informed that another dryer in laundry room B was found to have an unidentified yellow liquid in it."
After both incidents, Hawes posted signs advising students not to use the affected dryers. OneSource, Tufts' custodial service, and Mac-Gray, Tufts' washer and dryer supplier, both sanitized the machines. Hawes also notified the Office of Residential Life and Learning.
"It was brought to our attention that someone may have urinated in the dryers of Wren Hall at least twice," ResLife Assistant Director for Community and Judicial Affairs Carrie Ales told the Daily in an e-mail. "When we found out this information, we contacted the residents of Wren Hall to let them know.We also let them know that the dryers were properly sanitized so they could continue [to] use [them]."
Wren resident Nate Ingraham believes that whoever urinated in the dryer was inebriated, but said the action is not excusable under any circumstance.
"I think it's completely unacceptable," said Ingraham, a sophomore. "I understand people are going to be stumbling around the dorm if they've ingested too much substance, but to go into the laundry room — that's out of control."
Other Wren residents voiced similar complaints. "Other than the fact that it's completely disgusting and unhygienic, it's just so disrespectful and rude," sophomore Tala Kayyali said.
Apart from issues of sanitation and decorum, temporary reductions to the number of available dryers in Wren have caused logistical problems. "It's definitely inconvenienced a lot of people," Ingraham said. "There's not that many dryers to begin with … It affects people's routines."
But both Kayyali and Ingraham agreed that ResLife has responded well to the situation. "I don't think ResLife could be doing much more," Ingraham said. "The responsibility's on the individuals themselves."
If ResLife is able to identify any responsible parties, Ales said they will face disciplinary consequences. "If we find out who is responsible for this behavior, they will be held accountable," she said.
Kayyali suggested anything from a fine to a verbal warning. "I'm not sure," she said. "It's a serious issue. Something definitely should be done."
