Custodial Services Removed and Reinstated in Jenkins and Residence Hall A

On Thursday, residents of Jenkins Hall and Residence Hall A received an email from the Office of Community Living (OCL) announcing that custodial services would be reinstated immediately, ending the independent living system introduced for those buildings on Sept. 25.

The September email from OCL explained that these two suite-style dorms had transitioned to an independent living system, which meant that residents would have more responsibility for maintaining the cleanliness of their suites. Instead of receiving custodial services, residents were expected to clean their own bathrooms and common rooms. 

In the Thursday email, OCL stated that “this year’s residents were not informed of the anticipated change in cleaning responsibilities at the time of selection, and we recognize that suite residents were not prepared.” As a result, Jenkins and Residence Hall A will receive twice-weekly cleanings of suite restrooms for the rest of the academic year. 

Residents of Jenkins and Residence Hall A reported that not all suite members received the initial email regarding this new policy.

“The email that we got was only sent to about half of the residents,” Sylvia Liddle ’26 said. “I never received an email. I heard about it through the grapevine, and I live in Jenkins.”

Emmanuel Odim ’26, who lives in Residence Hall A, was also surprised by the change. “It was just a kind of rumor mill, and eventually we saw trash continuing to pile up and our bathrooms not being touched,” Odim said.

The new policy also included monthly inspections by Custodial Services on the last Monday of each month to ensure that suites were complying with health and safety standards. The inspections were conducted to assess mold, dirt buildup, damage, and other aspects of general cleanliness. 

One inspection was conducted on Oct. 27 for the suites in Jenkins and Residence Hall A. Custodial staff left written reviews of the suites, which were left in the common room, highlighting areas of concern that needed to be addressed by 9 a.m. on the Friday following the inspection. If adjustments were not made, students faced a $200 cleaning fee. 

As the policy was reversed on Thursday, students did not experience a second round of investigations on Friday.

Many residents voiced concerns regarding the impromptu decision, the lack of transparency, the lack of necessary cleaning supplies, and overall frustration. 

“Whoever came up with this policy obviously didn’t consider that changing policies without any input or announcement is just not right. It’s not a huge or unreasonable change, granted, but as a matter of principle, this shouldn’t happen,” Amaya Martinez ’26 said.

A specific complaint from residents centered on inequity in room and board fees, as students who do not live in independent living are receiving not just bathroom cleaning, but common room cleaning and trash removal while paying the same fees.

“I think it’s just surprising and kind of disappointing, especially because we pay the same amount of money that every other student on campus pays,” Liddle said. 

On Oct. 2, OCL sent an email responding to questions and sharing updates, including that Jenkins’ laundry room would be stocked with cleaning supplies for all suites in Jenkins and Residence Hall A, including cleaning spray, small and large trash bags, swiffer/broom set, gloves, sponges, toilet paper, paper towel rolls, plunger, toilet wand, and a key necessary for replacing paper towel rolls. 

“We received spray and paper towels and toilet paper, which is really great,” Liddle said. “But we were never left with a toilet plunger or a toilet brush. Nor do we have a key to get into the paper towel dispenser, so we can’t replace the paper towels. So, we weren’t really given half of the stuff that we were told we were going to be given.”

The Student reached out to OCL regarding the reason for this change, but had not received a response at the time of publication. In their original email, OCL discussed fostering skills and habits associated with an independent living style, leading students to believe this was part of the motivation for the switch in systems. 

“I personally don’t mind having to clean my own bathrooms,” Martinez said. “But in the real world, you’re not gonna have to share a broom with over 50 other people, that’s just not gonna happen. You’re gonna have your own cleaning supplies.”

Jenkins has also historically been used for parties and other social gatherings on campus. Due to students viewing these dormitories as community space, they are often used by a variety of students who neither reside in the buildings nor are friends with residents. 

“It’s hard to maintain a dorm where there are a lot of other people in there all the time. So it’s not necessarily under your control whether the stairways or hallways are clean,” Liddle said. “Somebody stole a key one night that we hid, and came into our room and [was] stealing stuff out of our fridge.”

On Oct. 4, the Office of Sustainability hosted The Amherst Party (TAP) on the lawns outside of Jenkins and Residence Hall A. Without custodial services, residents found themselves doing much of the cleanup.

“The administration gave us no notice, and what I was actually extremely upset by was that a party was hosted outside Jenkins, and we were the ones who were expected to clean up,” Martinez said. 

Alex Nichols ’26 recalled that someone had vomited in a bathroom in Jenkins, and he had to “clean the whole thing” by himself. “Whoever threw up there does not live here,” he added.

Following its reinstating of custodial services on Thursday, OCL has also shared plans to set clear expectations and shift to independent living for these dormitories in the following academic year. 

“Although I was saddened by the initial lack of communication, I am very grateful that they have heard our concerns and reinstated these services,” Sofia Yadigaroglu ’26 said.