On Sept. 23, California Lutheran University Residence Life and Student Conduct emailed residents of Mt. Clef Hall regarding “intentional damage” to a pool table formerly donated by the Associated Students of California Lutheran University Government in the hall’s common area.
“It has come to our attention that recently, the community pool table located in the lounge was intentionally damaged. Specifically, the felt of the pool table appears to have been cut precisely by a knife or other sharp object,” the email said.
The email also asked students to come forward with any potential information regarding the suspected damage. The email also said that if no one came forward with who damaged the pool table by Sept. 30, an all-hall charge of $20 would be issued to residents to cover the cost of repairing the damaged property.
The damage the pool table sustained is a square cut on the center of the fabric. The fabric on the cut square can be folded back to reveal the material making up the base of the pool table.
“The issue that was reported was a tear in the pool table felt, which could be considered vandalism under our policy,” Tess McIntyre, coordinator for Residence Life and Student Conduct, said in an email interview.
Vandalism is described in the Student Handbook as the “misuse, destruction, tampering, or attempting to destroy University property or the property of others.” McIntyre said there are no other recent vandalism concerns that Residence Life has been aware of.
Reece Sandoval, a first-year student living in Mt. Clef, said he was unaware of the all-hall charge policy, and that some people were not in the position to pay $20 at the time the email was sent out.
“I was like, ‘Hold on, I ain’t even do nothing,’” Sandoval said.
Per the Student Handbook, any damage to residence hall property should be reported immediately to Facilities and the supervisor of the hall.
In the case of excessive damage to furnishings and equipment, monetary charges will be issued to those deemed responsible for the damages, according to the Student Handbook. If the identity of the individual or individuals at fault cannot be identified, the cost of repairing the damage is “divided among residents of the living group.”
“It is important that the group take responsibility for the actions of individuals, just as the individual must function within the reasonable parameters prescribed by the group. Excessive damages can be eliminated if each resident agrees not to let the damages occur and to identify the person(s) responsible if damages occur,” according to the Student Handbook.
Sandoval said the announcement of the all-hall charge made him want to investigate the damage for himself.
“I kind of feel like [the all-hall charge] may be a little unfair on some parts, but I feel like the message, though, on that was like the seriousness of the situation. You can’t just go cutting up somebody’s pool table,” Sandoval said.
McIntyre said there are no cameras in the interior areas of Mt. Clef.
“When deciding where to place the cameras we take into consideration the expectation of privacy as it pertains to residence hall interior locations,” said David Hilke, director of Campus Safety, in an email interview.
The University of California, Los Angeles, a public university, has a webpage detailing what is considered proper security camera use. Cameras are prohibited in areas where there is a reasonable expectation of privacy, like private living spaces, according to the webpage. Cal Lutheran does not have a website detailing security camera protocols and placements.
Hilke said someone came forward and claimed responsibility for the damages. The person said it was accidental, and the incident was not classified as an act of vandalism.
“The damage was not caused by a knife,” Hilke said.
Had the damage been caused by a knife it would have been in direct violation of Cal Lutheran’s firearms and weapons policy. The policy lists a knives as weapons not allowed on university property.
Since someone came forward claiming responsibility for the damage, residents of Mt. Clef will not be charged.
Moving forward, Hilke said the university has not confirmed any updates to its policies regarding vandalism, but that they are always looking to improve policy when possible.
“The university continuously evaluates existing procedures and policies to ensure they are effective. This includes exploring opportunities to strengthen preventative measures, such as increasing awareness, encouraging community responsibility, and promoting open communication,” Hilke said.
Residents in Mt. Clef still do not know who caused the damage, but will not face an all-hall charge. The pool table is still in the hall, and the damage has not been repaired as of Oct. 3.
