Professional Letter - Miami University



June 3, 2005

Dear Morris Hall Resident:

I am writing to you in response to a series of recent events that have affected our Morris Hall community. I am saddened to inform you of the reoccurring vandalism in our building. On the Saturday night during Parents’ Weekend, vandals damaged the legs of a table and chair in the first floor lobby. We also found a lamp in the lobby destroyed the same night. Moreover, the students involved tore wallpaper from the wall in the entrance and used graffiti to deface a banner created to welcome your parents to Morris Hall. The cost of repairs for the damage reached well over $500.00 dollars for this one night alone.

These events followed the previous weekend in which our community witnessed the destruction of more than thirty ceiling tiles over a span of five nights. Again, most of the destruction took place on the first floor of Morris Hall in the two corridors on the north end of the building. However, we found damage to signs and ceiling tiles on the second and third floors of Morris Hall as well. I trust you find this destruction, the vandalism of your Miami University property unsatisfactory. I am certainly alarmed by this emerging trend in our hall.

With the continued destruction of physical property, I am called to reassess the safety and security of our Morris Hall community. As your Residence Life Staff, we are treating these matters with the utmost severity and sincerity. It is neither fair nor appropriate to jeopardize your academic community with a sense of destruction or lack of security. For this reason, we have and will continue taking steps to address this issue.

As an immediate response to each of these episodes, we have called the Miami University Police Department filing formal police reports. We will continue to use the Miami University Police as a resource to provide the safest environment as we can. They will continue to have a visible presence in our hall as we respond to vandalism. In addition, we would like to call your attention to the Guide to Residence Hall Living, specifically the Guest and Escort policies. If you have any questions about these policies, please do not hesitate to ask your Resident Assistant or Adviser.

Perhaps most importantly we are relying on you to share responsibility for protecting your community. As Miami students, we know that you have the power to shape your hall and your community. We ask that you support each other at the same time as you challenge those who treat your building, community, and university with such little respect. Once again, if you have any information about these incidents or other vandalism that we may not be aware of please talk to us. Thank you for your help.

Sincerely,

Mike Strong

First Year Adviser

October 5, 2001

Dear Brandon Hall Resident,

This letter comes to you in response to disturbing acts of vandalism that have occurred in Brandon Hall since the beginning of the semester. As you may all ready know, the two most severe incidents involved the illegal and malicious use of a fire extinguisher. On September 1, 2001, unknown perpetrators discharged a fire extinguisher on the basement floors, furniture, laundry room, and under some rooms on the second floor. On September 29, 2001, unknown perpetrators discharged a fire extinguisher on both the second and third floors. Because of the expansiveness of these incidents and the time frames in which they were found, it has been hypothesized that they occurred in the wee hours of the morning after the vast majority of the hall was asleep.

This issue has serious implications not only to the community of the hall but also to hall safety. Using fire extinguishers for anything less than their intended purpose poses a serious threat to hall safety in the event of a fire. Damaging hall furniture, carpet, and resident rooms is a serious violation of the community standard of respect. The cleanup of these materials also places an undue burden on our dedicated Housekeeping Staff, whose primary responsibility is of general maintenance around the building.

If you see someone who looks suspicious or if you walk upon someone committing an act of vandalism, there are a number of things that you can do. On the preventative side, don’t let people in the building that you do not know. If you see someone suspicious, let your RA know or call the MUPD at 9-2222. You do not have to confront the situation yourself, but you are expected to hold one another accountable by contacting the appropriate authorities.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 529-2105 or stop by Room 116.

Sincerely,

Kentina Washington

Brandon Hall Resident Director

C: Joan Taggert, Housing Manager, HDGS

Amy Kiger, Coordinator, Office of Residence Life and New Student Programs

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