Room fines and floor charges tend to surprise many NIU students who live in the residence halls at the end of each year.

Residence Life Director Willard Draper said most students who live in the residence halls do not know the difference between room fines and floor charges.

“I thought that whatever happened in the room was also a floor charge,” said Erica Dinwiddie, a junior sociology major and Neptune East resident.

Residential Facilities Coordinator Eric Musselman said floor charges are based on the cost of cleaning, repairing or replacing items. Once the university finds out who did the damage on the floor, the resident signs a damage verification form and is charged. If it cannot find out who did the damage on the floor, the whole floor is charged $250. The total sum is divided among the floor’s residents.

“It’s not fair how students get penalized for things that are not their fault,” Dinwiddie said.

Room fines are based on things residents get charged for when they check out, Musselman said. Individual room charges can be avoided at the end of the year by following all the instructions prior to checkout.

“If the students want to appeal the fines, they must write a letter to me explaining what happened,” said Sandi Carlisle, manager of Student Housing and Dining Services facilities.

All room fine prices are determined by Residential Facilities, which consults with the Residence Life staff in the halls to determine whether the damage in question was intentional. If so, Residential Facilities then works with the Physical Plant to get the repair or replacement charges for the item damaged. These charges are then passed on directly to the student.

“Most of the room fines change from year-to-year due to labor material,” Carlisle said. Every year between July 1 and June 30, there is a new change in rates. Students get charged only for the current year’s charge rate.

Some residents, such as Andre Moore, a sophomore marketing major and Stevenson resident, feels neutral about the room fines.

“They charge students for things that are meaningless,” Moore said. “Last year, I got charged for losing my ice cube tray.”

When most students move out in May, hall directors do a preliminary check of the rooms to make sure there are no problems. Residential Facilities staff then inspects the room condition, taking photographs of damages and excessive cleaning needs. Physical Plant Building Services then cleans the rooms in the summer.

“Most students who live in the halls do not care until they get their bills at the end of the year,” Moore said.