As first reported in The Williams Record, the Williams custodial staff has had to conduct 24 "bio-cleanups" since the start of this academic year. Bio-cleanup "refers to any custodial cleanup of vomit, urine or fecal matter on College property, particularly in common or residential areas," News Editor Amanda Korman wrote.
There have been six excrement-related cleanups at Williams this semester, several involving the smearing of feces. The article also describes a four-day span during which the Paresky Center, Williams's new student center, required five vomit cleanups and repair of a broken urinal and a damaged bathroom mirror.
"The spreading of excrement is obviously deliberate. It's not like someone had an accident," said Director of Facilities Bea Miles in the article.
The Record's Oct. 30 editorial addressed this disturbing problem. "The body fluid-related messes we've seen this fall are not normal, at the College or at similar schools," the editorial states. "Staffers at one other NESCAC school expressed shock at even being asked about the topic, and were only able to recall a single case of bio-cleanup on their campus. Though excessive imbibing is common at other colleges, the level of rampant disrespect for property we're seeing here cannot be written off as average."
When a bio-cleanup is performed in a dorm, access is subsequently limited to its residents. "The dorm I live in became a victim of this disrespectful act and the consequences for resident students included a fine as well as resident-only access for the next two weeks," Williams sophomore Mark Johnson '10 told The Student. "The frustrating part lies in the likelihood that this act was committed by a non-resident. I believe that most of these 'bio-cleanups' have become necessary only because of the negligence of a small number of students."
Katie Palmer '10 supports the steps her school's administration has taken to address the situation. "It's unclear how effective the preventative measures set up by the College Council will be, but what I think can be counted on at Williams is that the administration and students will continue to work on the problem until it is satisfactorily remedied. My experience here so far has been that community dialogue rules the day, which is why I'm especially glad The Record chose to run the article(s)."
Mia Desimone '10, whose sister attends Amherst, does not believe the incidents are emblematic of the entire student body. "These disrespectful and dehumanizing incidences were committed by a few individuals in a few isolated events (it's now believed out of intention, not poor-judgment)," she told The Student. "I feel embarrassed to be associated with them."