Damages in Carle Hall have become so rampant that nearly the entire building is being fined for the actions of a few vandals. As a result of repeated incidents of vandalism and destruction of
property in the residence hall throughout the fall, residents on three of the four floors in Carle were charged between $65 to $100 per student. Repeated attempts were made by Community Living to get those responsible to come forward, to no avail. In turn, all students on the affected floors were charged regardless of involvement. The majority of the students who live in Carle Hall are innocent and honest students who have a terrible reputation because of a few students acting out and causing damage.
The Equinox believes while it certainly is not fair that all of the students are being fined, Keene State College does not have any choice given what little they know about who is involved. Yes, the majority of the students did nothing wrong, and yes, it would be fair to only charge students who did something wrong, but there is no way for the college to know who did what without students coming forward.
Speaking out against inaction can be difficult, especially when it is against your own friends or peers. No one wants to be labeled a “tattletale” and everyone knows that “snitches get stitches,” but The Equinox thinks that this is not really an excuse.
The students were warned that they would all be charged if no one came forward to admit to causing the damage. There was ample opportunity for someone to admit that they knew something. They could have saved themselves and others from a fine if they were to tell the college who was doing the damage.
It might seem hard to speak out against your friends, but it needs to be done for the greater good. However, some students might be that they could be found out that they are the one who spoke out against someone.
Therefore, The Equinox believes that anonymous tips should be encouraged so that the culprits can be caught and no one has to know who sent in the tip.
There are some limitations with that plan, though. With anonymous tips, anyone can falsely accuse someone without repercussions. However, The Equinox thinks that it is still worth the big pay out of having the anonymous tips. As long as investigations are thorough, those who would theoretically be falsely accused would be proven innocent.
The Equinox recognizes there are times when the whole building has to be fined. It is unfair, but it is what the school has to do to fix things immediately. Exit signs have been broken and stolen in Carle Hall, which could lead to Keene State College failing an inspection. Charging only certain floors doesn’t help much, since people will sometimes go to other floors to do damage.
Sometimes, there are students that are not even in the building when damage occurs. The Equinox believes that if a student can prove that they were not in the building during the time of an incident occurring then they should be able to opt out of any fines that come with the damage.
The Equinox knows that it is not fair that everyone in Carle Hall is charged for the wrongdoings of a few, but the college can not pay for every incident that occurs in the building. It is up to the students to take responsibility for the damages occurring.
