By J.C. Stoner
First impressions matter in the world of campus housing, perhaps none more so than in that initial moment when a resident enters the physical space they will be calling home for the next academic year. While nobody doubts the value of putting the proverbial best foot forward, housing facilities teams must navigate the expectations of incoming students and the work of internal staff who prepare these spaces as they consider the room’s appearance against its functionality. This challenge is compounded by the fact that hundreds if not thousands of rooms need to be prepared during the limited break between semesters, a timeframe that the presence of campers or other temporary tenants may further reduce. Then there are those rooms that are cleaned and prepped but might not be entered again for several weeks. Considering all these factors, each decision in the maintenance process can have profound consequences, both positive and negative. This is why housing departments, as they stage their rooms, must consider all the possible branches in their workflow hierarchy.
The decision-making process that facilities departments manage between move-out and move-in dates is a balancing act that must include practical, economical, aesthetic, and functional considerations. Take, for instance, the basic necessity of running water and imagine the reaction of the average student who enters their room, turns the tap, and is greeted with a rust-colored stream. People with backgrounds in facilities and plumbing understand that water sitting stagnant and unmoving in the pipes will turn color due to the buildup of iron and manganese, two minerals that are certainly unsightly but not toxic and definitely not an indication of any water contamination. The problem is also easily averted, which is why Drew Jahr, senior associate managing director of facilities at Texas Tech University, a few days before move-in every year, has his staff go through every vacant room – even with an occupancy level of 8,200 beds – and open the taps for a few minutes to ensure that the water is clear. This is also a chance to check for small leaks and dripping pipes that indicate a larger issue that will only worsen the longer it is not addressed. If nobody is actively living in a room to report these small infrastructure issues, it could become a big problem by move-in week, a period when time and personnel resources are already limited.
Mineral buildup also occurs in clean toilets that sit unused for extended periods of time. As the water slowly evaporates from the unused toilet bowl, an unsightly brown ring is created by the mineral buildup left behind. The resident's experience of moving into an otherwise perfectly maintained apartment could be suddenly shattered by a brown ring in the toilet, which was caused not by the neglect of housing staff but by the confluence of natural phenomena. As one mid-level maintenance professional noted when explaining that he habitually flushes the toilet whenever he is in an unoccupied unit, this is an issue of customer service: “It may cost a few dollars on the utility bill, but I like to believe that cost is offset by custodial and customer service salaries on move-in day.”
Students will also assume that the room has been freshly cleaned. For most students, that means obvious indicators such as the room being void of trash, with clean and wiped down countertops and a generally fresh aroma. Vacuum lines on carpets are an obvious indication that a room has had some level of cleaning, which is why The University of Texas at Dallas includes it as a criterion for student inspectors to note on their move-in ready inspection rounds, according to housing operations coordinator Taylor Lawson. For a room originally cleaned in May, vacuum lines on the carpet are not likely to have faded away by August, assuming that the room has remained vacant and unused. But what about countertops and other flat surfaces that may accumulate dust over that time? To some, the first impression of dusty countertops may cause an immediate reaction that the room has not been cleaned, even though it was. If the move-in experience is quickly marred, it matters little that dust may be a natural occurrence and not an indication of a larger systemic issue.
Along with cleaning considerations are those of pest control. Pests are natural, especially in densely populated areas like campus housing. The experience of moving into an otherwise perfectly maintained and clean room can be completely disrupted by the appearance of a single dead bug on the floor or a windowsill. Such a reaction is understandable given the natural psychological response to pests, but how do housing staff manage emotional responses while explaining how the appearance of one dead bug may actually be a good thing? “A dead bug means our preventative pest control measures are working,” says M. Joel Gatti, director of housing operations at Southern Methodist University. At UT Dallas, the staff members take proactive measures the week before move-in, authorizing overtime pay for housekeeping and coordinator-level staff to return to all the completely vacant units, wipe down countertops, and use hand vacuums to pick up any dead bugs. As Hayley Minton, senior director for housing operations, recalls, “We found by doing this we lowered the volume of cleaning complaints during move-in while elevating the residents’ perception of their unit.”
Another observation that can quickly (and justifiably) ruin a positive first impression is mold, which many housing staff have dealt with, especially in older facilities. In addition to moist environments, mold thrives in warm, dark spaces with limited air movement: an apt description of many rooms that sit vacant for extended periods during the break. Ceiling fans, if present, could be left on a low setting to maintain air movement, but this would require a substantial additional expense. Leaving closet doors open will help air circulate in those small spaces. The same is true with cabinet doors typically found in spaces with dedicated sources of moisture such as kitchens and bathrooms. Leaving doors open is a sustainable practice since it uses no resources. But, again, consider the impression of that new student entering their room and being greeted by the appearance of the space having been either ransacked or left in a state of general disorder. “I generally agree that it makes sense to leave cabinet doors open during summer months, but it puts the pressure on the last staff in the apartment to close them all to get rid of the appearance of the room being in shambles,” Gatti explains.
Apefa Cooper, a general manager with American Campus Communities at Texas A&M San Antonio, reports that her staff leaves blinds open to provide natural light. This practice not only reduces darkness that may facilitate fungal growth but also creates a warmer experience when someone walks into a room illuminated by natural light. Texas Tech University employs a similar practice, with the exception of apartments at ground level where blinds are closed for privacy and security, according to Jahr.
Finally, when considering how rooms are staged for new residents, there are those facility-specific idiosyncrasies to account for. One of the most common, and one that could potentially be most disruptive, is the room key or key card. “My staff spends a substantial amount of time over the summer testing every single key to reduce access issues on move-in day. It’s made a huge difference since we started doing this two summers ago,” says Lawson.
Then, once inside the room, the first thing a person generally does is flip the switch by the door. Imagine the experience of flipping that switch and nothing happening. The first impression is that something does not work, and while the resident may eventually troubleshoot on their own by determining whether the switch actually controls outlets or that the switch controls the ceiling fan and light fixture but the pull chain was in the off position, even a mild amount of frustration could disrupt an otherwise positive move-in experience.
A former maintenance supervisor at a large public school in the Southwest said he would prefer to leave all the lights on in a room after getting the room ready for its next occupants because he saw value in a student walking into a lit room for the first time and knowing that the lights are operational. Unfortunately, the value of leaving lights on as a practice is not sustainable from either a resource stewardship or a financial standpoint. A single 60-watt light bulb running constantly for two months at an average rate of 10¢/kwh would cost $8.64 per bulb. Scaling that cost up to the number of bulbs across campus accumulates a sizeable financial burden. On the other hand, the opportunity cost of personnel going back through to turn on all the lights the day before move-in scales up quite quickly, too. Neither course of action may be worth the cost of eliminating whatever potential confusion may occur on move-in day.
The previous examples may expose conflicting priorities – sustainability versus practical preventative measures or negating potential issues before they happen versus resolving existing emergent issues – and a cost-benefit analysis may make some of the presented examples unmanageable. However, at least intentionally considering these options can help provide further consistency for students, regardless of the resident and regardless of the bedspace. As Cooper acknowledges, “A consistent experience is the ultimate goal.” The fundamental issue is to establish clear expectations for room preparation so that residents do not have a negative experience when they first step across that threshold. It’s also important to understand that a room marked as “move-in ready” at the beginning of the break does not exist in a vacuum sitting ready for two months; the passage of time and other natural occurrences can ultimately change the room status before students arrive.
As is too often the case in facility management, final decisions come down to the delicate act of balancing the time and resources necessary to prevent potential issues before they become problems against the time and resources needed to resolve the problem when it becomes tangible and real. Whether the solution comes in the form of a housekeeper who responds rapidly during move-in or an unnamed person who takes preventative action earlier, the goal remains the same. After all, there’s only one chance to make a first impression.
J.C. Stoner is the associate director of housing operations at The University of Texas at Dallas. He also is an associate editor for The Journal of College & University Student Housing.
